A New Beginning
by Delie
Summary: Sirius is free and goes in search of someone he thought he had lost forever.FINISHED
1. Introduction

A New Beginning 

**Disclaimer:** In accordance to the ancient FanFiction law I hereby declare that I do not own anything found in the Harry Potter books (although if JK ever wants to get rid of Sirius I'd happily have him!). If you see something that you don't recognise from the books then I probably made it up but I'm not laying claim to anything because I don't think I'd like jail!

A/N Hello and welcome to my new fic  'A New Beginning'! This kinda follows on from my fic 'Dangerous Memories' so if you haven't read it WHY NOT? I'd recommend you finish 'DM' before going on to this but if you don't wanna then I've included a quick 'DM' walkthrough below. Anyhoo I just thought I'd put in this intro page so everyone knows where we are. 

Thanks for reading by the way and I'd absolutely love you to bits if you drop me a review and let me know what you think. 

To DM readers thank you for coming back! Hope you like this one as much as you did the last 

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Dangerous Memories

Ok so here's a quick run down of my last fic incase you can't remember or _haven't read it_!

It is September 1995 (OOTP year). 

Dumbledore appointed Remus Lupin as Assistant Headmaster to help him out during his time away on OOTP business. 

Harry had an unfortunate incident with Lupin's Pensieve and discovered a horrible secret about their past (No I'm not telling you what. Did you really think I'd do all of the work for you!?) This put strain on their relationship but they are now once again on good terms. Thanks to Dumbledore's tireless efforts Sirius has been freed and has gone to live with Remus's parents until he takes over the DADA post in the following January.

Yes I know it's brief but I didn't spend all of that time writing 'DM' just to write it off in a quick summary!

A New Beginning 

Ok so now I'll Introduce you to 'A New Beginning'. In this fic we follow Sirius during his first few months of freedom, so sorry if you're expecting lots of Harry and co but you're gonna be disappointed. While he stays at the Lupin house, Sirius goes about re-building his life and adjusting to his new found freedom.. The story focuses around a bond that broke upon Sirius's arrest and his fight to restore it. 

Mmmm Nah, don't think I'll tell you any more than that!

Thanks to those who've already shown an interest in the story, you've even tried to guess what happens, bless you! Well I did leave a huuuge clue in Chapter 13 of 'DM' but you'll just have to read on and see how close you are!

Ok I'm gonna go now. 

Byeee and please , please, please review. (well not this obv. but the 1st chapter!) 

PS Sorry if Chapter 1 is a bit boring but I needed to set the scene out a bit seeing that the setting isn't a familiar one.


	2. Forgiven, Not Forgotten

Chapter One:  Forgiven, Not Forgotten 

_Harry_

_How are you? Hope things are going well at Hogwarts. I've only been gone two weeks and it feels like forever! Remus owled me yesterday and said that you were in training for the new Quidditch season. Good luck although God knows you don't need it!_

_I'm glad things are alright between you and Remus, it has made my absence a lot more comfortable knowing that the two of you are friends again. He has told me where to find some of Sonny's old letters and I thought you'd like it if we went through them together when I return. _

_The Lupin's are looking after me incredibly. They are wonderful people and have shown a great interest in you, you must come and meet them during your summer holidays._

_I went back to my old house today, it was as I had feared. The place was burned down long ago, probably out of anti-Dark feeling, none of my old things remain (on that topic would you please ask Hagrid what happened to my motorbike?) I am going to look for a new home soon, hopefully it won't take to long, I do want you to come and live with me as soon as possible._

_Tell Remus, Hermione and Ron  that I am thinking of them and, as promised, I shall see you at Christmas._

Love 

_Padfoot_

Sirius folded the piece of parchment and placed it in his pocket reminding himself that he should buy an owl whilst in town.

 In the two weeks he had stayed with the Lupin's they had treated him like their own son but now it was time he got back on his own two feet. The first week of his freedom had been lost to sleep, not once in almost fifteen years had he slept so soundly. The warm duvet, the soft pillows, it was like arriving in heaven. It was, Sirius discovered, the small things that he had missed most of all – hot running water, the feel of wooly carpet beneath his toes, everything he had once taken for granted. The first time he had stepped into the Lupin's shower he had laughed so hard that Mrs. Lupin thought that he was suffering from giddiness. 

Looking around the small cramped room Sirius couldn't help but notice how little had changed. This had been Remus's room for the past 38 years and since the day of his birth barely a thing in the room had been changed. The room had once been an attic as proven by the sharp, sloping ceiling and the lack of windows. A tattered, single bed lay in one corner of the room, it's dark blue sheets worn and frayed. A shabby wardrobe and suspiciously wonky desk were the only furnishings in the room. Narrowly wedged into the point of the rooms slope was a bookshelf, crammed to the point of bending with various Photography and Dark- Arts books that Remus had saved for over the years. 

It saddened Sirius to think that the Lupin's were so poor. Staring at the torn carpet he wished that there was some way he could repay them for the last two weeks. He had, of course, offered but they would not accept money or help. As far as they were concerned a friend of Remus's was as good as flesh and blood. 

Sirius ran a finger across the dusty volumes on the bookshelf, they were the only items in the room that had not been there on his first visit some twenty five years ago. 

He remembered that first visit well. It was the first summer the Marauders had spent together and they had spent all year planning what they would do for the holidays. It had been agreed that they would spend a weekend at each others houses, except for Peter's as his father would not permit visitors. Remus had been a little awkward at first and said that he didn't think it was a good idea but the friends could see the real reason why, he was embarrassed. Remus had always been uncomfortable with the fact he was poor but in total honesty it never crossed his friend's minds. He never said that it bothered him but they had all grown so close in that one year they could read each other like a book, maybe with the exception of Peter who was a lot more distant. 

That first visit to the Lupin house had been fantastic. Old Mr. Lupin had shown the boys around his farm and told them all sorts of stories about the local land and it's history, things their own parents just wouldn't know. After they had each had a go on the tractor Mrs Lupin brought them out glasses of  cold lemonade topped with a healthy scoop of homemade ice-cream. They sunbathed lazily in the yard, constantly being pecked by the resident chickens, until tea-time. 

Sirius looked down on to the chicken yard and realised just how long ago that was, it all seemed like yesterday, he could see James and Remus lying there right now if he tried hard enough.

It was just after two o clock when Mrs Lupin knocked on the door.

'Sirius dear' she called through the door. 'Can I come in and do the dustin'?'

'Yes Mrs Lupin' he answered.

The elderly lady emerged from behind the door looking very pink and flustered. She wore a deep purple apron and a matching headscarf pulled back her wispy grey hair, in her hand she held a fluffy, feather duster.

'Now I've told  yer, call me Patty or Pietas on Sunday's' she trilled 'Mrs Lupin, you'd think I wa' yer boss!'

Sirius smiled at his friends mother 'Sorry, Patty'

'That's better now Laboro, or yer probably call him Mr Lupin,' she mocked 'tells me you're off to see yer mum and dad '

'Yes' Sirius said solemnly 'First time in nearly fifteen years'

'Ahh, don't  worry pet, Remus told me they' been well looked after. He visited them himsel' a few times.'

Something about that shocked Sirius. For the past fifteen years Remus had thought him to be a dangerous criminal, a murderer, yet he had still gone to visit the Black's. But then ,why should that surprise him, Remus had always been the kindest man he had ever known.

It was a cold, windy autumnal day outside. Sirius pulled his robes tightly against his body in a vain attempt to keep warm. The northern area in which the Lupin's lived was prone to high winds and had been for some time judging by the heavy structure of the old farmhouse. Looking at the amount of land the Lupin's owned it was difficult to believe that they were poor, although as Mr Lupin pointed out farming was a poor industry. To the right of the house lay a small, sandstone tractor shed in which Laboro Lupin stored his machinery. To the other side of the house stood a bulky willow tree, strong and unfazed by the vicious wind. Several of Mrs Lupin's shrubs were being tossed unceremoniously by the weather. Sirius made his way up the gravelly passage that lead through the farmers fields and out onto the public roads.

As he passed the furthest of the Lupin's four fields Sirius noticed old Mr. Lupin was out milking the cows. 

'Hello there kid!' Mr Lupin called out to Sirius as he neared the younger man. 'Off out?'

'Yes' Sirius replied as the old farmer stopped in front of him. 'Going to see mum and dad'

'Good thing' the farmer replied 'Make your peace'

Mr Lupin set off back across the field towards his magical- cow-milking-machine. Sirius was constantly amazed by the man's energy. For someone so old and frail it was unbelievable the amount of tasks he could still carry out with only the aid of two farm-hands. Sirius had offered to lend a hand many times but his help had always been rejected.

Carrying on his path Sirius decided that he would cut through Brisktown where he could buy an owl. The only other shopping village in the vicinity was Little Hangleton and since Voldemort's resurrection few wizards dared go near the place, as a consequence many of the shops had been forced to close.  The further Sirius walked he found the colder it grew, the wind was so harsh that it made his eyes sting. 

Brisktown was only a very small shopping village, directly north  of Lupin Farm. Straight away Sirius spotted the shop he was looking for  'Haphilla's Pet Store'. He was thankful when he finally got inside, out of the cold. The shop itself was nowhere near as big as the one in Diagon Alley but it would have to suffice. He walked to the top corner of the store where a  cage-full  of bored-looking owls sat hooting and pecking at each other out of lack of anything else to do. They were all brown barn owls, but for one which was jet black. It seemed the obvious choice. 

Sirius walked over to the deserted counter and rang the small ornate bell for assistance. In a matter of minutes a little, old witch appeared from the stock room behind the counter.

 She smiled broadly as she asked 'How may I help you.?'

'Id like that..' 

But Sirius was cut short when the old lady began to scream.

'Fred! Fred! Help! Sirius Black, Fred!'

An elderly man came rushing into the shop.

'What's all the fuss about?' he asked his wife irritably.

'It's Sirius Black!' Fear spread across the woman's face as she clutched her husbands arm.

'Martha dear.' The old man laughed 'He's innocent love, he's been freed. Don't yer read yon newspaper?'

'I'm sorry sir' the old man apologised 'What can I do for yer?'

'I.. I just wanted.' Sirius stuttered his face growing scarlet. 'I ...er .....black owl.' Tears filled up in the young man's eyes as he tried to hide his embarrassment.

'Certainly' The old man smiled, sensing his customers sadness. 'Please tak' no notice o' her.'

The man went on to help Sirius pick a cage for the owl and offered him a discount as way of an apology.

Feeling slightly downcast Sirius left the shop, glad at least that the wind had dropped. 

How could he have been so stupid? How could he expect people to just abandon fifteen years of belief? As if it could have been that easy. For the last decade and a half wizards everywhere had thought that Sirius Black was a cold-blooded, evil man. Now he had to prove them wrong.

That would have to wait for the moment though because now he had to face his parents.

What would he say? How would he explain?  All that he could do was tell them how much he loved them, how much he missed them and hope and pray for their understanding.

Sirius had waited for this day, had longed to be in the presence of his beloved parents.

 Why had he stayed away for so long? Of course they'd understand.

It wasn't long until he reached the heavy wooden door. Quickly thinking he drew out his wand 

'Florio' he uttered.

 A thin pink trail of smoke flew out of the tip of the wand, followed by a large bouquet of pink blooms. 

'Mum's favorite' he though as he pushed the door open.

There was no one in. Sirius looked around thinking that Michael must be somewhere in the shadows, but the room was completely empty. Walking quietly across the floor he made his way out of the back door.

There they were. Both together.

'Mum, Dad.' Sirius smiled sitting down on the grass beside them. He lay the flowers down carefully.

'I've missed you' he sobbed quietly, tracing the letters with his fingers.

_Demetris Black 1937-1979_

_Latia Black 1938-1979_

_Loved in life_

_United in death_


	3. Old Ghosts

Hello! Whew, got this done quickly! 

Well up until now I only have one review so thanks Wintermoon! Thank you for coming back, I'm glad you liked my last chapter, it seems to have had the right effect!

Special points to anyone who can tell me where I nicked the name of the Black's house from (Clue: It's a play and the movie starred Marlon Brando and Vivien Leigh)

**I'm gonna give up numbering Chapters because they're gonna go all wrong with having an intro page, so here's.....**

_ Old Ghosts_

The door opened noisily behind Sirius making him jump.

'Father Michael' he greeted the man who made his way towards him.

'Sirius, I expected that you would visit. How are you?'

'Not so bad. Just thought I'd come and see them, explain everything to them.' Sirius replied nodding towards his parent's headstone.

The friendly reverend sat down on the grass beside the visitor. He smiled as he began to speak.

'Sirius, do you think I'd allow your parents to hear a bad word about you? I saw you visit them here everyday since they died, I knew what a loving son you had been. Not for one minute did I believe you were behind that attack, You-Know-Who claimed the lives of your beloved parents, why should you turn to his side?'

Sirius felt an overwhelming sadness at the vicar's words and not because he rejected the support. His own friends hadn't believed him. His own friends hadn't seen what was staring them in the face, they had condemned him yet a mere acquaintance had believed his innocence. 

It was true, after his parents death Sirius had visited them here everyday. They had been painful days. The Blacks were taken by Voldemort just a month after the death of Sonny Potter, the girl Sirius had been in love with.  Sirius still grew cold when he thought of those times, but he had survived and he knew why. 

She had been there.

Of all the things he had loved and lost the most precious thing in his life remained. 

_Ebony._

Through his grief and sorrow it seemed impossible to everyone that Sirius would be able to bring up his mothers child. In truth she was the only thing he had that could ease the pain.

The child had never been welcome in the Black house, it was no secret that the child did not belong to Demetris Black, whoever her father was only her mother knew. This had never mattered to Sirius, no matter how much his parents had hated and mistreated her, he had never felt anything but pure love for the little baby.

'Sirius.' Father Michael awoke him from his thoughts. 'Are you ok?'

'Yes father' he replied quietly 

'There is something I have to give you.' The said reverend handing a large, rusty key to the bewildered man.

'Belle Reve' Michael explained. 'I know after Demetris and Latia died to swore that you'd have nothing to do with the house but ,as I understand, you are very much in need of a new home.'

Sirius looked down at the brass object in his hand.

Belle Reve 

He had not stepped foot in the old house since his parents bodies had been found there all those years ago. He had refused to even walk past the place.

'No' Sirius told his companion. 'I'll not go back there.'

'Very well' Father Michael replied. 'But at least keep the key, I have held onto it far longer than I should have.'

' I knew I could trust you with it.' Sirius muttered as he pulled himself to his feet.

Leaving the reverend he made his way back through the church and out onto the main street.

Throughout the long walk to Lupin Farm, Sirius's thoughts bore heavily into his mind.

_Could he possibly go back to Belle Reve?_

_What about Ebony? _

_Could he possibly find her?_

_Would it be fair to walk back into her life after so long?_

The key in Sirius's hand was cutting deeply into his skin. Though he wished he'd never seen it again  he found impossible to let go, he couldn't even bear to put it into his pocket. He was torn, as much as he hated the house he felt compelled to go to it. He knew how painful it would be but in a way it would be a relief. He couldn't , after all, blame a house for his parents demise.

Finally, Sirius reached the Lupin's farm. He could smell Mrs Lupins cooking as soon as he opened the front door.

'Ah there yer are hinny' Patty said as she took him by the arm and led him into the kitchen. 'Sit yersel' down I've made yer tea.'

'Thank you Patty' he said awkwardly as he sat down at the table, Mr Lupin evidently hadn't returned from his work.

'How'd it go?' She asked, seeing the odd expression on his face.

'Father Michael gave me this.' he replied setting the heavy key down onto the table. 'It's the key to Belle Reve.'

'Always wondered what you did with that place.' Patty told him 'Seemed strange, you  moving into your little house when yer had that great big one. Guess you just couldn't face it, eh?'

'No.' Sirius answered. 'I gave the key to Father Michael. I was intending to sell the place but.....I just couldn't. It was my parents house.'

'I understand.' Mrs. Lupin decided against quizzing her guest further.

'I want to go in a way.' Sirius continued voluntarily. 'I mean, I was young, grieving when I left. Thinking about it now I realise I was stupid. That's where we lived, where all of my memories are, all of my happy ones.' He stopped to draw in a long heavy breath, tears clouding his eyes. 'All of the memories I have of mum and dad are in that house, all of their things are still there.'

Mrs Lupin placed a comforting palm around Black's arm.

'The last few months at that house where awful.' Sirius's voice was now barely above a whisper. 'After Ebony was born my parents always fought and argued.'

As he spoke his siblings name Mrs Lupin gave an involuntary flinch, it was a name she had dreaded hearing.

'But the years before that were amazing.' Sirius went on, appearing not to notice Mrs Lupins reaction.

'My parents, they were so in love, so kind...so patient.'

'Ok love come on.' Mrs Lupin urged Sirius to close the conversation, seeing the increasing sadness in his dark eyes.

After eating Sirius went out into the front yard and sat alone on an old wooden bench.

Rolling the key around in his hand he toyed with the idea of visiting Belle Reve.

_'It would be exactly the same'_ he told himself _'exactly as it had been when they died, when Voldemort....'_

_'But it was their home'_ a voice within his head argued '_It will be like when you were a child. You will be able to see all of their things, Ebony's things. It will be good to lay your ghosts to rest.'_

That was the one thing that Sirius wanted more than anything, to lay his ghosts to rest.

After he had left Belle Reve he had never been free from it. Even from his own home he could still see the imposing structure from his window. 

It haunted him. 

Everynight he would look out of the window at the place where his parents were killed, convinced that the house was evil. Since the birth of Ebony it was as if the building had been cursed. The bad blood she bred took over the house, permeating through it's very walls. The Blacks had been miserable in that house for seven months and it had eventually claimed there lives.

Sirius shook himself.

'Don't be so stupid' he scolded himself 'It was Voldemort, not the house, Voldemort.'

Looking down at the metallic object that lay in his palm Sirius decided that he would visit Belle Reve in the morning. If nothing else at least he could maybe feel closer to Ebony.

Sealing that thought as a promise to himself he made his way back into the house, where he sat alone until nightfall.


	4. Ebony

**Hey, why have some of my reviews disappeared! * cries like a baby ***

**Thank you reviewers!!!!!!**

**Oh, you lot like to ask questions don't you?! You're supposed to keep reading, I can't just _tell_ you.**

**Wintermoon: I think this chapter should answer most of your questions. Thank you for reviewing, glad you're enjoying!**

**Hermione 'db': Thank you for reviewing my intro page(?!) I assure you that you are the only person who has done so up until now. As we decided no one (but us) would be silly enough to marry a werewolf so yes, Lupin still lives at home in the room Sirius has (although he is now at H'warts) Not sure what you mean about  'S' and 'M', have we had this conversation? I am _extremely_ slow!**

**Luna Elentari: Thank you for coming back! I'm very flattered by your comments!  Well, of course I cannot tell you who Ebony's dad is, but, rest assured, it is not Mr Lupin. Mrs Lupin doesn't want to hear Ebony's name because , like her son, she doesn't think it would be good for Sirius or his sister if he were to try and find her. Trust me, if you read on it'll all fall into place. **

**Polkat: Er, I'm not sure where your review has gone but it was about Belle Reve right? Well done for knowing that it came from A Streetcar Named Desire (I should prob stick a disclaimer in here- Tennessee Williams owns the name Belle Reve-not me) Just trust me on the mane, it'll come together and from my memory I don't think it was a happy place for Blanche either.**

**...**

Ebony 

__

Sirius lay awake for most of that night. He was sickeningly nervous over the impending visit to his old house but it was Ebony that concerned him the most.

It was a stormy, Spring night back in 1979. Latia Black lay uncomfortably in a bleak hospital ward, her husband was nowhere to be seen. Her son, Sirius, sat by her side nursing her new-born baby daughter. No matter how hard she tried she couldn't bare to watch, she couldn't bear to look at the child that had cost her so much.

Demetris had been livid when he was told of his wife's pregnancy, for two whole months the once happy couple had not so much as glanced at each other. The atmosphere within the family home had been unbearable.  After much interference from Sirius  the pair began to talk again, but never on the subject of the baby. Demetris never spoke of the baby and Latia only did so to confirm that the baby was not her husband's. There had never been any discussion of aborting the baby. Sirius was under the impression that his father was keen to keep the baby, if only to provide his wife with a constant reminder of her infidelity. It was not clear why Latia had been unfaithful, the Black's had always been 

so happy, but who can ever judge the workings of a woman's mind.

~*~                                                         ~*~                                                         ~*~

'He's trying to punish me' Latia thought sadly as she turned the back of her head to her children. 

Two hours after Ebony's birth Demetris Black finally apparated within the hospital ward. Sensing that his parents wanted to be alone, Sirius carried his sister into a nearby waiting room.

The room was cold and bare, the sound of the Black's arguing echoed through the walls.

'I told you I wanted nothing to do with the thing!' Demetris roared.

'You made me have it!' His wife protested loudly.

Sirius tried hard to block it out. Although he did not approve of his mother's actions he could not hold them against an innocent child.

Looking down at the small bundle in his arms he could hardly believe she was there. At twenty one he had long given up on ever having a sibling. 

It didn't matter to him who the child's father was. She was his mother's daughter and that was all he cared about. 

The baby, to him, was perfect, her tiny little hands wrapped around his index finger as he lightly stoked her soft, pink cheeks. The colour of her eyes was impossible to make out through their  heavy, weary lids but she had a fine covering of black hair over her smooth head.  As the child began to stir and cry Sirius rocked her gently, her tiny frame lost in his big, strong arms. 

'Shhh' he whispered gently 'Don't cry, come on, there's a good girl.'

It was there, in that deserted hospital waiting room that Sirius and Ebony sealed their first sibling bond.

On returning to Belle Reve the atmosphere had pretty much returned to the state it had held during the first months of Latia's pregnancy. Stormy. Demetis had not yet looked at the baby, let alone held it. Latia followed suit. She would not openly embrace her daughter for fear of annoying her husband. The baby became severely rejected.  Demetris gave instruction for her to sleep on the third floor of the house, an area that served as an attic and contained nothing more than cardboard boxes. 

Sirius had no choice but to look after the child. He made her bottles, changed her and took her out for walks. His fellow Marauders joked about his over-brotherly relationship with the child.

'She's a bit young, even by your standards!' Remus joked.

'You'll never pull with her around.' James piped up.

Sirius didn't care. The baby was now his number one priority, the lifestyle he had once lived had to be put on the back burner.

Three weeks had passes since the baby's birth and she had still not been named.

'She needs a name' Sirius told his mother as he rocked his sister to sleep in the family living room one afternoon.

Mrs Black flinched and gave a worried glance towards her husband who was reading the newspaper in the corner of the room.

'Her birth needs to be registered.' Sirius went on, ignoring his mothers discomfort.

'I haven't decided on a name.' Latia muttered under her breath, hoping that her husband wouldn't hear.

'Ebony.' Demetris grunted without looking up from his reading.

Sirius and Latia stared at him in bewilderment.

'What was that dear?' Latia asked unsurely.

'We'll call it Ebony.' Demetris repeated in annoyance.

A smile spread across Latia Black's face. Was this it? Was her husband finally accepting the baby? She felt a surge of relief. Finally everything was falling into place.

'That's a beautiful name Demi' she said, smiling across at her spouse.

'Yes' Demetris grunted 'Ebony Black, as Dark as they come.'

Latia's heart sunk. She left the room sobbing as her husband coldly continued reading, ignoring her cries.

From that day forth the name 'Ebony' stuck, mainly because Demetris refused to acknowledge her by any other name. With the name in place life began to get much easier. The baby was no longer unpleasantly referred to as 'it', even though the name 'Ebony' served as a jibe. Demetris began to interact with his wife and son again although he still refused to have anything to do with the child. With the tension eased Latia felt more comfortable tending to her child which allowed Sirius more free time to spend with his friends.

Just as life began to get easier at Belle Reve tragedy struck. 

Just seven months after Ebony's birth Demetris Black and his wife were killed. As a life-long Auror, Mr. Black had become one of Voldemorts targets and in the September of 1979 the Dark Lord succeeded in taking his life and he also took Latia out of spite. Fortunately Sirius and Ebony had not been present in the house that afternoon or they too would have been killed.

It was Sirius who found the body. 

Not one month after Sonny Potter's death his own parents had been taken from him. 

Through the darkest moments of his life it was Ebony that kept him together. He knew that had he not been responsible for his sister's welfare he would have sunk to depression, maybe even suicide. Sirius owed his life to his sister, she had kept him together, pulled him through even though she was not old enough to know it. In a way he owed his life to her father. He never would have imagined it but his mother's affair had saved him, it had provided him with the urge to fight.

After his parent's funeral Sirius vowed to raise Ebony alone. Even his wary friends had to admit he became the perfect father.

'Who would ever have thought it.' James had once joked 'Sirius Black, Chief Instigator of  Trouble, has become the model parent.'

Sirius had to admit it. His adaptation to parenthood had even surprised himself. He dressed and fed the child each morning, kept her amused during the day, sent her to sleep each night, he was the perfect parent.

As Ebony began to grow Sirius was there to witness all of her finer moments. He felt her first tooth, heard her first word and watched her first steps. The child was the reflection of her mother, bubbly, energetic but extremely grizzly if she didn't get her own way. She had inherited her mother's dark skin and wavy black hair, however she had the most brilliant,  blue eyes that could only have come from her father. It broke Sirius' heart to look into those eyes, they were the only thing that served as a reminder that the child was not his

James began to worry that Sirius' bond with his sister was becoming unhealthy.

'She isn't your daughter.' he warned his best friend. 'You have a life to lead too. You need to find your own wife and start your own family.'

James just didn't understand. Ebony was a full time job, there was no way Sirius had time to lead the life he once had, even if he had wanted too. Due to his hefty inheritance Sirius was in a comfortable financial position, he did not need to work to support himself or Ebony. There was nothing to hold him back, he and Ebony would be together forever.

That was until Azkaban.

The only thing  Sirius had that the Azkaban  Dementors could feed upon were his memories of Ebony. 

They took each and every one of them.

 The memories of her first words and steps were the first to go. Followed by the memory of her voice and even the memory of her face.

 Sirius had planned holidays with James and Lily, they were going to take Ebony and baby Harry to the beach. Lily and James were gone now but even those useless memories were sucked away. Soon all Sirius was left with were concerns for Ebony and for his godson Harry.

After Sirius' arrest Ebony was taken into a Magical Care Home and was later adopted by a couple who could not have children of their own. Upon his release this was the only information Sirius had been provided with concerning his sister. Dumbledore and Remus had both advised against him trying to contact Ebony. She had been three years old when Sirius had been taken away. It was possible she had forgotten about him. It was unlikely that her new parents would have talked to her about her 'dangerous' brother. 

Sirius didn't care. 

Surely she had the right to know. 

Surely it is important for a child to know the truth about her past.

Ebony would be approaching eighteen now, certainly old enough to make her own choices. Sirius's mind flickered to thoughts of Harry. James's son was only eleven years old when he had learned the truth of his family. He had been angry that he had been told lies concerning his parents. Ebony would surely feel the same. 

She had the right to know that another life existed for her, should she chose to accept it. 

With his mind fixed on that thought Sirius drifted into a fitful sleep.


	5. Home Is Where The Heart Is

**New Chapter!!! **

**Thank you for reviewing!**

**Wintermoon: I didn't say you couldn't ask me questions! I like getting questions because it shows that you're really interested and sometimes can point out things that I hadn't thought of.....just don't always expect straight answers! (But I do like mindless flurries of praise too!)**

**Hermione 'DB': Oh no, don't cry! Don't worry I gave Sirius a hug for you and he told me it made him feel much better. Erm...yeah, subtlety is lost on me, I really need big flashing lights to spell things out!**

_Home Is Where The Heart Is_

When Sirius awoke the next morning his room was still in complete darkness. After much tossing and turning he decided that going back to sleep would be impossible, he had too much on his mind. Straining his eyes until his clock became visible he realized that it was only six am. He would have been annoyed that he had awoken so early but it then occurred to him that it was probably a good thing.  He was planning to visit his old family home that day and the last thing he wanted was to have Mrs. Lupin fussing over him, if he slipped out now he could avoid that. Sirius knew that Patty Lupin only had his best interests at heart but he felt it was time that he stood on his own two feet. He could no longer rely on her, he had to rebuild his life on his own. Interference on her part may have been just a friendly gesture but after fifteen years it was time that he began to think for himself.

Pulling on his robes, Sirius made his way down into the kitchen where he pulled his winter cloak from a hook beside the door.  As he made his way out of the house he realised that he was no longer feeling nervous about his visit, it was more a state of anxiety. He was no longer dreading the visit to his former home, he just wished it was over with.

The air outside was cool but not as turbulent as Sirius had expected, it was pleasantly calming. The road leading out of the village was a long one, which twisted awkwardly and lead up to some very steep slopes. It was not long before he found himself growing tired. 

Sitting down on a  nearby wall Sirius  stopped to catch his breath. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out the heavy, brass key that the Reverend Michael had returned to him. He stared nostalgically down at the small object and tried to recall the last time he had used it. It had been the day he had left the house, just days after his parents death. The day he had moved into his new home with Ebony, determined to start a new life. 

Well, even the best laid plans can go wrong. 

Maybe it was destiny, maybe it had all been written in the stars. It had always seemed odd to those around  Sirius that he had not decided to sell Belle Reve upon his departure. To Sirius the idea of selling the house had not seemed possible, it was his parents house and the thought of someone else living there was far too much for him to bare. But could there be a deeper reasoning for his decisions? Was it simply fate's way that he should once again access his the home of his childhood? Whatever the justification for Sirius's actions regarding the house, there was only one reason he had to re-enter it now. To surround himself with memories of his parents and the sister he had lost.

With thoughts of  his past and missing sibling clouding his mind, Sirius pulled himself heavily to his feet and restarted his journey . As the countryside around him grew thicker he knew that he was getting closer and closer to his destination. 

Belle Reve was a large converted farm-house, situated on a forested hill-top. The front of the house was guarded by a wall of large fir trees that protected it from the eyes of muggles and intruders, unless a visitor knew of the house's existence it would be near impossible to find. The rear of the house however stood completely bare and provided a perfect view of the small villages that meandered at the foot of the steep hill. Since the building's renovation  few had entered it's threshold and due to it's exclusion from the rest of the town it had been subjected to numerous rumours concerning ghosts and poltergeists , rumours which had only intensified following the deaths of Mr. and Mrs. Black.

As Sirius began to climb the steep, rocky hill he could understand how such rumours had come about. The density of the surrounding forest blocked out any sunlight  that would have fallen on what the villagers had named 'Shadow Hill.' He remembered how much he had hated this hill as a child. Even though he knew that the house was not haunted, it was hard to believe that such a darkened woodland was not. He had never walked this hill alone as a child, ensuring that anywhere he wished to travel was connected to the Floo Network, if not he simply would refuse to leave the house.

As the steep slope began to take it's toll on his tired knees Sirius wished that he had taken the courage to ask the Ministy if the house could still be accessed by Floo. However, he knew that his visit to the house would cause a lot of speculation within the Ministry and Magical Press Association so he had decided that he would risk the walk.

As he reached the top of the hill his old house came into perfect view. A large clearing had been made in the forest which the Mr. Black had used to provide his family with a garden. Leaving the forest track and mounting the family drive-way, Sirius felt a numb sensation growing within his stomach. 

This was it. 

After years of fear and resentment he was finally going to have to enter the old house.

Looking up at the house it now looked more specter-like  than ever. The cold stone structure had weathered badly due to the frequent storms and rain-fall. The building was a heavy, grey structure reinforced with thick layers of visible concrete to protect it from the elements. Dark, gloomy shadows hung at the windows, like blank, soul-less eyes devoid of any signs of life. 

Taking a deep breath Sirius drew the key from his pocket and cautiously approached the front door of the house. The name 'Belle Reve' was carved into the hefty, mahogany door. Clutching the key in a trembling fist he pushed it uncertainly into the worn, brass lock. With a dull click the key lodged itself into the door.

'Right' Sirius thought to himself, his sweaty hand still clenched around the key.

'Don't worry, it'll be alright just turn it.'

He suddenly felt extremely childish. 

What was so hard about opening a door?

 At his age he had gathered plenty experience at opening doors , it was, all-in-all a pretty easy task.

Filled with sudden determination,  Sirius rotated the key in his hand, releasing the door from it's locked state. It creaked loudly, stiff with disuse, making Sirius jump back in terror.

'God!' he scolded himself. 'Pull yourself together, it's just a bloody door.'

His heart racing with the sudden shock, Sirius timidly pushed the door ajar.

Peering down the hallway he suddenly felt very sick. Everything was so dark, the air within the house felt cold and damp. Sirius moved a shaky foot over the threshold and cautiously made his way into the house. What he was being cautious of he didn't know, the only ghosts in this house where the ones in his head.

'Lumos' Sirius whispered .

A constant stream of golden light emitted from his wand, allowing him to see the darkened hallway more clearly.

 Sirius was distressed to see that the house really was exactly how he had left it. His fathers cloak still hung across the banister before him and his mother slippers lay by the front door, both covered in a thick film of dust. The whole hallway was filled with the dry smell of dust, even the walls were covered in a thin layer of the grey powder. 

Sirius felt strangely relieved to see that all of the doors in the downstairs of the house were closed, the darkness coupled with the eerie silence that hung in the air were making him feel extremely uneasy. A small white door to his left lead into the family dining-room. Straight ahead lay the kitchen and to his right where the stairs which blocked his view of the living room door which was situated to the far-side of the stair-case.

Something within Sirius forced him to move silently and carefully towards the living room door, in the same fashion a person would adopt when in a doctors waiting room. He moved so carefully that it was as if he was scared of waking someone.

As he approached the room he saw something that brought tears to his eyes. 

The door handle had been smashed open, obviously in Voldemort's attack. The broken handle hung in pieces from the door, covering scratch marks that had bore deeply into the wooden frame. 

With a dull aching in his heart Sirius pointed his wand at the damage.

'Reparo' he croaked, and the handle flew back into it's original position, all signs of damage disappeared. 

Sirius had never asked where his parents bodies had been found, he had avoided all rooms but his own until he was able to move into his own home. Judging by the state of the door and the slashes he could see in the carpet this had been the room, the last one his parents had ever seen. Maybe it was best he didn't go in here. Not just yet.

Instead he made his way up the long, spiral staircase towards his own room. Lighting the way with his wand he crossed the landing and rested his hand on the handle of his bedroom door. Looking around he could see his parents bedroom door was closed but the bathroom was open. Intrigued he walked into the small washroom. It was strange how many fond memories he could draw from such an unimportant area. It was in this dim room that he had spent many nights bathing Ebony, splashing her playfully with the warm soapy water and entertaining her with his bubble-blowing technique.

After seeing that room Sirius began to feel more at ease .There was more to this place than his parents death. The house had once been filled with happy memories, more so before Ebony's conception but he would not think like that. Whatever his parent's thoughts and actions, to him it was baby Ebony who had brought the place to life. 

Brushing his dust-covered  hands across his robes, Sirius mounted a second staircase. These stairs lead to the third floor of the house, the floor once solely occupied by Miss Ebony Black.

At the top of the stairs there was no passageway and no doors, just one long open room.  In the corner of the room were numerous old boxes and several shelves lined the bleak, stone walls. The boxes, as Sirius recalled, contained old clothes and toys of Ebony's, things that were no longer used and wouldn't fit into the new house. Sirius had held onto them with the hope of going through them again one day, he couldn't bear to throw any of his sister's things away. The shelves were filled with his fathers old things that were never touched once Ebony had set up house in the old attic. All of Ebony's old furniture and newer toys were now gone, they had all been moved into Sirius's home which had been destroyed upon his arrest.

Sirius went over to the boxes and began to drag them one by one over to the stairwell. It would be pointless going through them up here, his wand light was barely bright enough to cut through the darkness in the heavily shadowed room.  He climbed down the steps with as many boxes as he could carry and set them down in his own room. He returned to the bottom of the stairs and aimed his wand at the remaining boxes.

'Accio' he called and the rest of Ebony's things followed him into his room.

Once safely inside his old room Sirius slammed the door shut on the rest of the house. The room resumed the state of sanctuary that it had held after the Black's had died.

Sirius lit several candles and the room gradually came into focus. Like the rest of the house a thick mound of dust covered everything in sight. 

'Deletrius' Sirius coughed, his chest tightening as he inhaled the dirt. 

Suddenly all traces of the dust had disintegrated leaving the room spotless. 

Sirius never thought he would be pleased to be in this room again but he was. The pale blue walls glowed softly in the candle-light, to him it was almost like being a teenager again, but many things had changed since then. His Hogwarts books weren't strewn all over the floor, his desk wasn't covered in letters from James and his mother wasn't at the foot of the stairs yelling at him to 'Turn that bloody racket down!.' The thought made Sirius laugh aloud. His mother had never understood his musical tastes  which she frequently referred to as 'noise', 'banging' and 'clatter' but whenever James came over and played his disco records she would burst into the room singing and dancing in the embarrassing fashion that teenagers grow to expect from there parents.

He missed those days.

Maybe just for a moment he could pretend, let his mind wander back to better days.

What was the point?

Sirius sat down at his old desk and picked up the small mirror that sat in the corner behind his quill-sets. 

When had life started to go so horribly wrong?

 It was all so long ago he could barely remember, possibly a symptom of Azkaban. He looked at his tired weary reflection in the mirror. If this room had eyes it probably wouldn't remember him. 

His now shoulder-length black hair over-shadowed much of his face. The darkness of his skin had slowly come back, covering the grey complexion he had achieved in prison. Thin lines weaved their way across his forehead and around his black eyes. 

When had he grown so old?  He had been in his early twenties the last time he had checked. 

Sirius began to realise how much of his life he had missed out on. He now had to face the fact that he way no longer the care-free young man he had been, in a couple of years he would be forty, he hadn't even noticed that he was now in his thirties. Time hadn't stood still while he was in Azkaban, it had carried on without him. 

That was why the Lupin family were so against him finding Ebony.

 It dawned on Sirius that she would soon be eighteen, she was no longer a toddler. So much would have happened to her in his absence. She would have learned to write and do maths and would have been a part of the wizarding world for some time. She would be able to perform advanced charms and would be studying for her exams. In a few months she would be old enough to vote and drink alcohol. There was much he had missed out on. 

Slamming the mirror down on the table Sirius began to cry. Up until now he had shown no strong resentment of his imprisonment but now it was becoming to much for him to bear. How could he be reasonable when he had missed so much? For the first time in his life Sirius wanted to find the idiots that captured him and..... 

He brought his fist down onto the desk top. What was the use in thinking like that? Nothing could be done to bring back those missing years, but he could try and mend the damage that had been caused. 

Sinking into his bed, Sirius pulled a small stuffed rabbit from one of the old boxes. It looked as good as new except for a few food stains from when Ebony had decided that the toy would like to swim in her liquidized vegetables. Time obviously stood still for some things in this house.

Sirius held onto the rabbit and lay back onto his pillow. 

Something sharp dug into the back of his head. Sitting up Sirius realised that the object was an envelope, he hadn't noticed that before. He picked the letter up and read the scribbled address.

 It was addressed to 'The Previous Guardian Of Ebony Black.' 

What could this be? 

Noticing that the envelope was yellowed at the edges and obviously old Sirius turned it over to read the franking date. The envelope had been franked by the Ministry of Magic just days after his arrest.

'Why would the Ministry send a letter about Ebony after I had been arrested?' Sirius wondered aloud as he opened the letter.

_To The Previous Guardian of Ebony Black,_

_In accordance with Wizarding law the Ministry of Magic has enclosed a copy of  the adoption certificate concerning Miss Ebony Black. It is compulsory that all former guardians receive a copy of the adoption certificate and keep it for future reference._

_Signed Cornelius Fudge_

Sirius reached into the envelope and discovered an additional piece of paper, which read.

_Adoption Certificate_

_Miss Ebony Black_

_Guardian prior to adoption: Mr. Sirius Black_

_Former Residence: Belle Reve, Belle Reve Estate, England_

Adoptive Guardian: Mr. and Mrs. T. Martin 

_Residence at time of print: 47 Phoenix Lane, Green Pastures, England._

_Reason for adoption order: Imprisonment of prior guardian_

_Signed: T Martin_

_             C Fudge_

_             R Lupin  (temporary custodian)_

Sirius brain didn't even register the last name on the certificate. It didn't register any of the names on the certificate, the only thing he cared about was the address. 

He had Ebony's address. This was it!

A/N Gosh! This is probably the longest chapter I've ever written! Oh-no, I hope you're still awake!


	6. Young At Heart

Finally a new chapter, this one took forever! I can't get into my reviews at the moment so I can't reply to them in any detail but BIG, BIG, BIG thank-you's to those who reviewed my last chapter. Special thanks to Polkat for giving me a kick up the bum with this one!

Young At Heart 

It was early in the evening before Sirius returned to the Lupin house. The walk home had been long and strenuous, although the news of Ebony had lifted his spirits greatly. Once inside the old farmhouse he was relieved to see that the Lupin's were out, he hadn't the energy to talk to them now, he needed time alone to think and plan his course of action. It was a sign of his love for Ebony that he was taking time to consider his options, where he would normally act on impulse and jump in feet first he knew where this could lead. His hot-headed temperament had gotten him in serious trouble before, now he could not afford to make mistakes, he had to be careful. Dumbledore had once told him 'You get only one chance to make a first impression, and there are few who are willing to give a second chance.' Sirius was already on shaky ground with regards to his sister, it was after all a second chance he needed and it concerned him that a sixteen year old girl may not feel inclined to forgive a man who had spent so long in Azkaban. Dumbledore had also once told him that 'mud sticks', which Sirius had found out to his cost.

The Lupin kitchen was a welcome, smiling face compared to the deathly atmosphere of Belle Reve. Although slightly cramped it was cosy and homely. Sirius sat down at the small, rickety table facing the bright, blazing fire. The copper pots that hung over-head gleamed brightly, reflecting the glistening fire-light around the warm room. He drew out his wand and muttered a half-hearted incantation. As if from out of nowhere four large wooden boxes appeared in the air and fell to the floor with a clunk. They were the boxes he had retrieved from Ebony's room at Belle Reve. As he reached into his robes to pull out 

Ebony's certificate his attention was drawn to another envelope which lay on the kitchen table, it was addressed to him. Tearing open the envelope Sirius discovered a letter from Remus.

Padfoot

Happy birthday, mate! Hope you're having a good one! Mum told me she hasn't seen you today, seemed a bit put out that you didn't come back for tea. Well her and dad are with me now if you're wondering why you're alone. I'll catch the Knight 

Bus over, pick you up at eight.

-Moony

Sirius re-read the note in confusion. His birthday? It couldn't be, but the calendar on the wall confirmed that it was indeed November 17th. How could he forget? He had been so caught up in Ebony and Belle Reve that such a simple thing as the date seemed unimportant. Remembering that he had not celebrated his birthday in sixteen years it was unsurprising that it had slipped his mind. 

Looking at the clock he saw that he had two hours until Lupin arrived, just enough time to get changed and have a quick rummage through the boxes. 

Enchanting each crate with a motion charm, Sirius made his way up the narrow, creaking staircase, the bewitched objects following him awkwardly.

In half an hour Sirius had carefully sifted through the contents of two of the four boxes, the contents of which were strewn across his unmade bed. Rattles, teddy-bears, tattered dolls; they were all there, some still covered in Ebony's small, sticky fingerprints. He examined each toy carefully, instantly recalling its name, the time it was bought and occasions on which it was played with. 

While many would have been saddened to be in this position Sirius was over-joyed. For sixteen years he had been denied these memories, had them physically sucked from his mind. For the first time since his escape he felt like he could finally remember his sister properly, feel her presence, feel hopeful of her return. 

With great enthusiasm Sirius tore into the third box, like a small child opening their Christmas presents. He pulled out more toys, games......and there was something else....something dark and soft. Peering into the mahogany depths Sirius tried to determine what the object was as it was caught stubbornly on a metal nail in the bottom corner of the container. He couldn't pull it free. It felt soft in his hand, somewhat leathery-but Ebony didn't own anything leather. 

With a sharp, heavy tug the item finally became detached and hung loosely in Sirius's hand. For a second he couldn't believe his eyes- this wasn't a possession of Ebony's, it was his! How had it gotten here? He had thought it was lost!

Sirius broke into an enormous grin. It was his old biker jacket. He had received it for his seventeenth birthday as a gift from his father but two years later it had gone missing and he had had it replaced. He couldn't believe he had found it after all of these years.

Promptly pulling the black jacket over his robes Sirius ran across the landing to the bathroom to fully appreciate his find in front of the mirror.

'Yes, I always thought you looked.....good…. in that.' giggled the silver, tarnished mirror as Sirius posed before it admiring the snug fit of the leather over his broad shoulders. Blushing slightly he returned to his bedroom where he changed into a pair of old jeans and a t-shirt. He didn't know whether Remus was planning on taking him somewhere wizarding or somewhere muggle, he didn't even care. Nothing was going to separate him from his beloved jacket again. 

After changing Sirius once again found himself before the rather flirtatious bathroom mirror which wolf-whistled on his approach. 

'Easy there!' he grinned at the polished surface as he gazed at his reflection. 

Looking at himself now it was as though he had walked back into the past. Every summer during his time at Hogwarts he had stood before this mirror, dressed in this very jacket, getting ready to go out with his friends. For the first time in years he felt as though he could remember his time at Hogwarts, and remember his seventeen year old self. He could almost be back in his teens, his hair was slightly longer and his face slightly older but it was almost as though he had found his lost years. He could remember the feeling of those times so clearly now, dressed in his trusty jacket, preparing to take his beloved motorcycle for a ride.

A sudden chord of sadness then struck in Sirius's mind, his bike was gone. He wouldn't be riding it tonight and he was no longer a teenager. He needed to remember that; he had been to Azkaban and time had passed. Harry had never answered his query as to where his bike was, that could only mean one thing. Hagrid had disposed of it.

Pushing a mass of thick black hair from his face Sirius reminded himself of Ebony and the happier things at hand. His youth was no longer important, what he had gained since those days counted for a lot more and that included his sister. 

Where was the relevance in childhood, in an old bike, when the return of his precious sister was so close?

A clatter from downstairs told Sirius that Remus had arrived. Checking that the adoption certificate was safely tucked into his inner pocket Sirius ran noisily down the flimsy stairs. Of course, he was well aware that he had no need to be carrying the certificate, but he felt a sense of warmth knowing that it was there, burrowing against his heart like a parchment talisman.

'Padfoot, happy birthday!' cried Remus as his friend came to meet him at the front door. Sirius was pleased to see that Lupin was looking a lot happier than he had on their parting. His normally weary face looked flushed and healthy; his pale eyes sparkled with a confident air of happiness. 

'Thanks Moony.' Sirius replied reciprocating Lupin's brotherly embrace. 'It's great to see you again! You're mother isn't too upset with me is she? To be totally honest I'd forgotten all....'

'Don't worry mate.' Lupin cut across. 'She realised that you'd gone to Belle Reve and understands.'

Remus nodded towards his friend's chest. 'I see you found the old witch-magnet.' he grinned cheekily.

Sirius gave a short laugh that sounded very much like a bark.  'Yeah, she still fits as well as she used to.' He smiled at his friend whilst running a loving hand across his leather sleeve. 'So where are we going?'

'Hogwarts,' came the short reply.

Sirius looked at his friend in a rather confused manner.

'School?' he said slowly, thinking he must have misheard his fellow Marauder.

'You didn't think Harry would allow your birthday to go unnoticed did you?' 

Lupin inquired brightly.

Grinning widely Sirius stepped out into the Lupin's yard where he found the Knight Bus waiting for him on the drive-way.

The journey to Hogwarts was speedy. Due to the lack of wizards aboard the big, purple bus, Sirius and Remus were risked to their destination without delay.

The castle was strangely empty with most of the students either in their common rooms or dormitories. Lupin ushered his friend into the Great Hall where a magnificent spread had been arranged for the birthday-boy.

Burning blue candles hovered several feet above the staff table where several guests were waiting to receive their friend. A huge banner hung upon the wall behind, the words 'Happy Birthday Padfoot' burned upon it in flame. Balloons hovered all around the Hall and the enchanted ceiling had been bewitched to show the constellation Canus Major, the Dog Star shining brightest of them all. 

Sirius felt a choking lump swell in his throat.

Was all of this really for him?

Just a few months ago he had suffered international hatred, and now this! 

Harry was the first to speak.

'Happy Birthday Sirius!' he beamed as his godfather and Remus settled at the table.

Sirius thanked Harry with a grin and a hug before seating himself between Lupin and Hermione. He was surprised to see so many people had come to celebrate his birthday. Also present were the Weasley family-minus Percy and Charlie,

Mr and Mrs Lupin, Hagrid, Mad-Eye Moody, Professor Mc Gonagall, Dumbledore and a very sour looking Snape. It was apparent that the latter had been forced to attend but Sirius didn't mind, any opportunity to see Snape suffering was welcome.

Dumbledore, who sat at the head of the table, arose.

'Welcome Sirius' he smiled at the new arrival, 'and a very Happy Birthday!'

The rest of the group took this opportunity to give their best wishes to their guest and he shook hands with each, gripping slightly more aggressively on the hand of Severus Snape.

Dumbledore cleared his throat politely and continued, his blue eyes twinkling even more than usual in the coloured candle-light.

'Well, as you are all aware we are gathered here to celebrate the birthday of our dear friend Sirius Black.' directing his gaze towards Ron, Harry and 

Hermione he said:

'I know that our students are famished due to deprivation of supper so I will quickly give our united best wishes to Sirius and thank him for gracing us with his presence. Now, may the feast commence.'

With a swift swish of his hand Dumbledore conjured an amazing feast. The long, narrow table was at once crammed with plate-pies, quiches, pastries and trifles. 

Large flagons of Butterbeer appeared in the centre of the table along with a very large cake decorated with white icing and permanently burning candles.

As everyone began to fill their silver plates with food Sirius caught Harry's attention.

'How have you been?' he asked his godson eagerly.

'Ok', Harry said with a stony half glance in Snape's direction.

'And how are things between you and Lupin?' Sirius asked quietly.

'They're fine.' Harry gave a weak smile. 'I know I was wrong, I just....'

Sirius nodded knowingly and made a bee-line for a pile of sandwiches. 

Snape, who sat opposite Sirius, looked extremely displeased. He picked half-heartedly at a lump of pork pie, his lip curling unpleasantly. Black noticed this and the smug look he wore on his face showed how much he was enjoying his old enemy's discomfort.

'Snivellus, Could you.....' 

Harry looked up at Sirius thinking he must have misheard what his godfather had said.

'Oh...erm....I mean….' Sirius tried to glaze over what he had said as a slip of the tongue. 'I, beg your pardon _Severus_…' he 'corrected' himself failing to conceal the grin on his face.. Snape turned red with anger, his face contorting in fury. Sirius noticed this with glee and glanced sideways to Harry. Apparently satisfied with the boy's humoured reaction he continued;

'I just wondered if you could pass the pumpkin pasties.'

'If I am not mistaken,' said Snape in an icy tone 'there is a plate of pumpkin pasties right by your left hand.'

'Oh I know Severus.' Sirius replied airily 'But I'd rather have some from over there, the ones here look slightly....greasy.'

Harry let out a stifled snigger which he attempted to turn into a cough. Ron on the other hand laughed loudly earning himself a look of reproach from his mother. The other guests who hadn't heard Sirius's remark looked at the youngest Weasley boy with a look of bewilderment. Hermione on the other hand scowled at her two friends disapprovingly. No matter how much she hated Snape she would not tolerate bullying a point which she made to Sirius under her breath.

In half an hour the food was gone and it was time to cut the cake. Before handing Sirius a knife Dumbledore arose once again.

'Well, now that we are all delightfully stuffed.' he began, 'I wish to propose a toast.'

'As all of you know life has not been kind to Sirius,' the Headmaster continued with a solemn expression. 'I myself have known him since the tender age of eleven, when he first walked through Hogwarts' doors. During his time here he proved himself immensely talented, undoubtedly naughty,' the Head now broke into a smile, 'but also an amazingly popular individual and a wonderful friend. It is through his compassion for others and incredible strength of character that he sits with us tonight, among those who for so long condemned him.

 I'm sure that young Harry will agree that before us sits a very loving and warm hearted young man.....'

 With this statement Snape snorted, a look of contempt upon his face, but 

Dumbledore did not seem to notice

'I would like you all to raise your glasses in celebration of our guest, Sirius Black.'

'To Sirius', the guests chorused as they each raised their Butterbeer. 

Dumbledore handed the flushing guest a long, silver knife and realising that attempting to blow out his candles was pointless, Sirius proceeded to cut his cake.

While the others became engrossed in their dessert Sirius could hardly eat a bite. Dumbledore's words rung in his ears. He had felt embarrassed and self conscious as the Headmaster had offered him such high praise but now he felt deeply touched. During his years at Hogwarts, Dumbledore had often displeased with him, as had most of the staff. After leaving school he had been thrown into prison; it seemed impossible that those kind words could possibly have been directed at him. But they were, and he had never felt as happy in years.

Once the cake was finished Hagrid leaned over to Sirius and began to speak.

'Me, Lupin an' Harry 'ave got somethin' to show yer out in the courtyard.' 

The half-giant pointed a fat, stubby finger towards the door as he clambered to his feet. Lupin and Harry followed suit and lead an intrigued Sirius out of the Hall.

In reality the night sky was dull and covered in blank clouds, the courtyard was in complete darkness but for a few dim lights coming from the dormitories above. 

'Lumos,' Lupin muttered, allowing a silver streak of wand-light to guide them. 

The party came to a stop by the outer wall of Gryffindor Tower. Sirius got the distinct impression that Hagrid was trying to block something from sight.

'Well.' The grounds-keeper began. 'I 'ad a bit o' trouble gettin' this back off 

Arthur Weasley bu' he finally parted with it.'

Hagrid beamed like a small child desperate to reveal a secret. 

'Well, 'ere yer go.' he stood to one side, allowing Sirius to see what he had been hiding.

Black's eyes grew wide as Hagrid announced, 

'It's yer ol' bike!'

Sirius looked as though he had been hit with a Stunning Charm as fought to find the words.

'I...I thought....I, mean, I...' he stuttered in disbelief. 'I thought you'd have ...have disposed of it.'

'I've had it restored for you.' Lupin said putting a hand on his friend's shoulder, ' I thought you'd appreciate that more than a new present.'

Sirius ran his eyes over his old motorcycle, unable to believe that he had it back and looking better than ever. Flawless black paint work gleamed in Remus's wand-light, the large, round headlights unscratched. Eagerly he climbed upon the newly covered saddle unable to conceal his excitement.

'Thanks Moony, this is amazing!' he gushed whilst gently pulling the break handle and admiring the new suspension. 

'It's practically a new bike!'

'Not quite.' Remus said quietly gesturing towards the bike's back tyre. 

Sirius turned his head to follow his friend's gaze. A picture of a large dog shone in silver flame upon the rear end of the motorcycle. On spotting its old owner the dog wagged its tail and jumped excitedly onto its back legs its tongue hanging from its mouth. Sirius remembered the day that James had drawn that dog, using his wand with expert precision before enchanting it to move. 

'Moony,' Sirius began, frowning slightly, 'how did you....'

'I am Assistant Headmaster of Hogwarts School.' Remus declared, knowing exactly what his friend was about to ask. 'I do get paid, and quite handsomely.'

Sirius nodded with a grin, he was going to have to get used to the new 'wealthy Lupin'. Ever since their friendship began Lupin had always been the 'poor one', this had always made Sirius and James very uncomfortable as they were so well-off. Harry knew how his godfather felt; he felt the same awkward guilt when spending money in front of Ron.

'There are more presents inside.' the young boy grinned, feeling slightly guilty for wanting to tear Sirius from his long-lost friend.

Once the group were re-seated in the Great Hall the present opening formally began. 

First off, Harry handed Sirius a large square package wrapped in shiny blue paper. Black ripped away the paper to reveal a midnight blue, enchanted crash helmet.

'This is brilliant.' Sirius grinned, 'Thank you Harry.' 

Sirius held the helmet tightly in his hands, turning it slowly to admire it. The helmet had obviously been originally blue but now it was enchanted, like the ceiling, to show the Great Dog against the night sky. Purple clouds flitted across the sky in between the occasional display of lightning.

'Professor Lupin told me that it was my dad that put that dog on your bike.' 

Harry began to explain. 'I thought you might like it if I did something similar. 

Hermione came up with the Dog Star idea and I asked Professor Flitwick for help with the Charm.'

Sirius smiled tenderly at his godson. 'Thank you Harry.' he said softly looking into the boy's emerald eyes. 'That was a lovely thought, it's perfect.'

Sirius found that a large percentage of his gifts were based around his motorcycle. He received an engraved compass from Hermione ('Do you have any idea how easily you could get lost up there?'), a small silver device from Dumbledore which when attached to the dashboard would make his bike invisible, and an anti-Dark Arts device from Moody in case any one should try and jinx him whilst airborne. Sirius also received an infamous Weasley sweater and a promise from Arthur not to report the existence of the flying motorbike, ('It's illegal now you know!') Mr and Mrs Lupin apologised that they could not afford to buy Sirius a gift but he insisted that they had already done enough for him.

At half-past ten Dumbledore announced that it was time for his students to go to bed. After a lot of grumbling Ron, Hermione and Harry bid Sirius farewell and made their way to bed after extracting a promise of a Christmas visit. It was not long after that the party broke up and Sirius and Remus were left sitting alone.

'Well, where to now Padfoot?' Lupin asked his friend. 'The Three Broomsticks? The Leaky Cauldron?'

'To be honest,' Sirius replied lazily, swinging onto the back legs of his chair, 'all I want to do is ride my motorbike.'

Remus smirked, 'Well, I do believe the Sirius Black I used to know has returned!'

'Yup' Sirius smiled. 'It's a good job I found this old jacket. I thought I'd lost it in Hogsmeade, even bought another one but it was there in the old house the whole time.'

Remus rested his head in his palm looking thoughtful. 'I remember when you got it for your seventeenth birthday, you were so happy me and James thought you'd won the Wizard Lottery.'

A vacant expression came over Padfoot's face as though he was lost in thought. 

After a few moments of silence he spoke.

'There's something I want to discuss with you Moony. What do you say to riding over to your parents' house and I'll bring you back in tomorrow? It will be Saturday after all.'

A look of concern spread across Remus's face, he seemed to know what this discussion would concern. Not wanting to argue with his old friend on his birthday Lupin agreed.

In no time at all Sirius had mounted his beloved motorbike with Lupin settled behind him. After checking that Dumbledore's device was working Sirius revved the engine to life and pulled the front of the bike so that it was pointing sky-wards. The engine gave a loud roar as the bike rose rapidly into the cool night air. The wind howled past the pair as they sped upwards into the sky. 

Panic raised in Lupin's heart as the wind-whipped his frost bitten face causing his eyes to water. He wished he had a helmet too; Sirius had always been a speed-demon, scarily so, but tonight the elements were definitely less than suitable. As the bike straightened up beyond the clouds the strong winds caused it to tip dangerously and occasionally veer off course, but if Remus felt frightened the feeling was certainly not shared by his friend. 

With his hands clutched tightly around his handle-bars Sirius had never felt so alive. Safely inside his helmet and thick leather jacket he wouldn't have noticed the wind had it not been for the bike's jerky movements. The rush of adrenaline pulsing throughout his body warmed him to the core, he felt electrified. Through the tint of his visor he could just make out the wispy, grey cloud cover below that put him in mind of an Arctic snowdrift. Just above him a slim sliver of moon shone silver, the night sky was a graceful, dark blue. 

Sirius had waited for this moment for fifteen years. James had often described to him the elation he felt whilst playing Quidditch- the thrill of the speed, the unbeatable sensation of flying through the air , miles above all else. To Sirius the pleasure of riding his bike was even greater, if he held out his hand he could almost touch the stars. 

This joy, however, was wasted on Remus. His grip on Padfoot's waist tightened with every second, he wanted nothing more than to have his feet back on flat, motionless ground. 

After two long, fearful hours of flight he had his wish. When the motorcycle landed with a bump in the Lupin's yard Remus was positively green. As he came to his feet he felt a strange dizzy sensation, as though he had just been on a long rollercoaster ride. His legs almost folded beneath him as he made his first step.

Sirius did not move from the bike. He sat there perfectly still, savouring every last detail of the journey. Casting a charm upon the bike that allowed it to stand freely he tipped back his head and pulled off his helmet with a loud bark-like laugh. He shook a tangle of long, dark hair from his face and beamed at Remus.

'This is the best birthday ever!' Sirius cried, finally dismounting his cherished motorcycle.

He planted a leather clad arm across his friend's shoulder and steered him indoors.

'What do you think Moony? Doesn't it bring back memories?'

With a sidelong glance at his friend Sirius saw his reply in Lupin's pasty, sickened complexion.

'No, I suppose it never was your thing.' 

Sirius remembered how Remus had always hated to fly; he wouldn't even join in when Sirius and James would play Quidditch during the summer holidays; he would always, instead, sit with James's sister Sonny. It had been James who had loved to fly; he and Sirius would often go for long journeys on the bike. They never went anywhere in particular; they just enjoyed the thrill of soaring through the air with the wind in their hair and the world at there feet. Sirius smiled affectionately as he recalled so many old memories.

Once seated at the Lupin's kitchen table with a mug of tea in front of him Sirius decided that it was now time to talk seriously with Remus. He wanted desperately to share his news with his oldest remaining friend but he knew that the subject was not one that Remus would be happy to discuss. 

'Remus, I want to show you something, it's about Ebony,' Sirius pulled the envelope from his inner pocket.

Lupin gave an involuntary sigh; a fine line appeared between his eyebrows.

This was it, the moment he had been dreading.

Sirius had found out, he had received a letter and now he knew. He knew that it was he, Remus, who had given authority for Ebony to be taken away. If only he had been honest from the start neither of them would be facing this conversation now.

What could he say? Could Sirius face the truth?

Could Remus really tell his best friend the hurtful truth about his abandonment of Ebony? There was no easy way of saying it. Deep down Remus knew that he had done the right thing all of those years ago. He had not sent Ebony away because he did not want her, but to protect her. He knew that one day the child would want to know about her family. He knew he could not lie to her. How could he possibly look into young girls eyes and tell her that her brother was a murderer? It had seemed kinder to send her away, to protect her from the horrible truth. 

Ebony's new family did not need to tell her the truth, they could lie and they could pretend that the reality was different. Remus knew that he couldn't. Despite what he thought of Sirius at the time he could not lie about him, pretend that he did not exist or that he had never met him. Maybe Remus had been cowardly and looked for an easier option but he knew that the farther away from her brother's memory Ebony was the better. If he had known that Sirius had been innocent there would have been no problem, he could have told that to Ebony with faith. If he had known that Sirius would be freed then he would never have sent Ebony away. The circumstances had been unfortunate, nothing could be done now. 

Looking at Padfoot's happy face Remus felt his heart break in two. It was his fault that Ebony had been taken away, if Sirius wanted to find her then it was his duty to help, even if he did not personally agree with his friend's motives.

Sirius pulled the parchment out from the envelope, a small smile forming on his lips.

'This is Ebony's adoption certificate.' he grinned pulling his chair closer to his friend's allowing him to read it.

'Look here, it's got her address and everything. I know you don't want me to find her Remus but I have to try, she's all I have.'

'You have Harry.' Remus argued half-heartedly waiting for the difficult questions to begin.

'Yes, and I love him like my own but he.......' 

Sirius stopped abruptly, his face contorting in confusion. His eyes moved rapidly across the parchment as though he was trying to make sense of something.

Remus's heart sank. Sirius hadn't known, he hadn't read it properly.....but now?

Sirius slowly turned his eyes from the parchment, the look of confusion still visible in the lines on his fore head.

When he finally spoke his words came very slowly.

'Moony, can you explain why your name is on here?'


	7. Finding Ebony

Glad you liked my last chapter, I was worried you would have forgotten about me! 

Amanda: Thank you for reading my stories! I'm shocked you managed to get through both of them so quickly!

Wintermoon: Thank you for coming back! I'm hoping to be up to date with BFTP very soon. Do I get those Pumpkin Pasties now?

Polkat: Yeah stuff Phoenix, it's an evil book anyway! The 'A' levels were important, damn it! I wish I'd bothered to revise now! I'm pleased you like the helmet. I couldn't think who but Arthur Weasley would have kept the bike without turning it in, I hope he wasn't too upset at having to let it go….

_Finding Ebony_

No matter how Remus worded his motives Sirius would end up feeling hurt, all he could do was tell the truth; he had wanted to protect Ebony from reality. Unfortunately, Sirius could not see this.

'You wanted to protect her from me?' Black raged. 'I would never hurt her!'

'I know, I know,' Remus protested calmly, trying to settle his friend's temper. 'I'm not saying that you would hurt her, but the memory of you would.'

Lupin looked into Sirius's eyes, willing him to see sense. Once the scarlet fury had drained from the face before him he continued his explanation.

'How could I possibly tell a young girl that her brother was a murderer? I didn't know that you were innocent.'

'You could have told her I'd gone away to work,' Sirius snapped.

Remus raised his eyebrows and asked, 'What, forever? Padfoot, I didn't know that you had been framed; I didn't know that you would be freed.'

Sirius did not seem to hear any of Lupin's words, he remained quite indignant as he gnawed furiously on his finger nails.

'You could have told her you didn't know me. You could have said we'd never met' he argued.

Seeing the passive look upon his friend's face, Sirius became very angry. 'You could have said I was dead!' he yelled.

'I could never have said that!' said Remus, his voice raised. It was impossible to tell whether he felt upset or angry at Black's remark. His sad, pale eyes shone with tears but his top lip curled angrily baring his large, white teeth. 

Seeing the curious expression upon the face before him Sirius realised that he had gone too far. Looking slightly taken aback, he sat silently his eyes not moving due to the slight fear that Remus might unleash his anger.

Sitting back in his chair, Remus drew a long breath and allowed himself to calm down before speaking again. He forced his face to become expressionless as he quietly spoke.

'I could never pretend such a thing!'

So sincere was this statement that a sudden feeling of guilt flooded over Sirius. How could he have been so selfish? Remus had never done anything to intentionally hurt him or anyone before. Realising that now was one of those times where his mouth could easily get him into trouble Sirius stopped to listen.

'Padfoot,' Lupin spoke quietly, 'I apologised to you two years ago for not trusting you. I told you then that I had believed you to be You-Know-Who's spy and I admitted I was terribly wrong. You forgave me. I confess that for twelve years I believed you to be a murderer, now you are discovering the consequences of my mistrust.' 

Remus spoke hesitantly, as though expecting Black to characteristically erupt; instead Sirius remained perfectly quiet although deeply saddened by his friend's words. He knew of course that Remus was right. In confronting Pettigrew alone he had acted hastily, as he always did. The events of that night were bound to have had repercussions; he could not have expected his return to be easy.

Lupin continued to speak more confidently, reassured by Sirius's silence.

'I had known you since the age of eleven. You may have liked to throw your weight around on the odd occasion, especially with Snape, but I never dreamed that you had willingly joined the Death Eaters. My only hope was that you had been cursed because I knew that the Sirius Black I had known would never betray his friends. I thought you had been tricked but I had no proof; all I knew for sure is that you were one of my first real friends, I could never deny that.'

Tears shone brighter than ever in Sirius's eyes as he reached across the table and embraced Remus tightly.

'Forgive me Moony?' he sighed pulling away slightly.

'Of course I forgive you Padfoot. Will you in turn forgive me? I did only what I thought best for Ebony, as you always had.'

'Certainly old friend.' Sirius smiled, shaking hands with his best friend.

   *~*                                         *~*                                         *~*                                         *~*                                      

It was nearing midday when Sirius and Remus awoke. Mr and Mrs Lupin were already working outdoors when the two men made their way downstairs to the living room.

Sirius lazily threw himself upon the thread-bare settee whilst Remus went about brewing a much needed pot of coffee. The Lupin's main room was so dim that Sirius worried that he may fall back to sleep. Dingy grey stone walls soaked up any sunlight that entered the room, the heavy wooden rafters above cast haunting shadows across the partially carpeted floor. In the centre of the room stood a small fireplace that was rarely used and a small antique-looking table. Upon the mantle Sirius saw a small, cracked tank which appeared to contain Blast Ended Skrewts.

'Eggs' said Remus as he entered the room, placing two steaming mugs down upon the small table.

'Huh?' Sirius asked drowsily, wishing he could go back to bed.

'The Skrewts' Remus replied 'The 'upper' classes have developed a bit of a thing for their eggs, they're supposedly a delicacy in Japan. Dad thought he'd give breeding them a go, you wouldn't believe how much those rich idiots will pay for them.'

Realising that his friend descended from the very 'rich idiots' to which he was referring Remus ended the conversation abruptly. Sirius, however, seemed oblivious and half-heartedly continued the conversation, out of politeness more than interest.

'Skrewt eggs? Who the hell buys the things?'

' The Malfoy's snapped up the last lot,' said  Remus 'Lucius apparently wants to draw up a contract, so dad will only supply to him.'

'Oh' Sirius scoffed 'Going into business with Malfoy? Your dad ought to be careful, look what happened to my mother. Eighteen years she'd been in partnership with him and he paid her out, right after she'd announced she was pregnant with Ebony! He's a slimy git!'

Remus smiled. He felt strangely comforted by Sirius's hostility towards Malfoy, it was a good sign that the old Padfoot had returned. It was, all in all a good day for Remus; Dumbledore was allowing him a weekend off work to help Sirius contact his sister and above that his friend now knew the truth. Ever since Sirius had first shown signs of wanting to contact Ebony a black cloud had followed Remus, but now the burden had been lifted. Everything seemed fine within their friendship and he finally felt as though he had rekindled a lost relationship, he had his old school friend back.

During lunch with the Lupin's talk of Ebony subsided but once alone again in the small cramped sitting room the conversation soon began again. Sirius seemed to come alive when speaking of her return and Remus found, to his surprise, that he was only happy to help. Although deep down he still believed that unsettling the girl was probably a bad idea, it pleased him to see the sparkle return to his friend's eyes.

Remus relayed every memory of Ebony's adoption, not so much giving excuses but reassuring Sirius that she was safe. He had met the Martin family on several occasions before giving them right of parenthood and even visited their house on one occasion, however, once the child had formally moved he knew he could no longer keep contact.

'I had to make sure the place was completely suitable,' Remus explained, 'I couldn't let her go just anywhere, it had to be perfect. When I met the Martins and saw where they lived I knew they were right, I knew they were people you would have approved of.'

Remus looked lost in thought as he told his story, his eyes fixed firmly on his hands which lay in his lap. Sirius watched his friend closely, Remus seemed confident with what he was saying; he seemed to truly believe that the Martin's were good people, this was immensely reassuring.

'You'd have liked their house,' Remus mused. 'Massive rooms, an amazing garden, plenty of room for her to play. They were obviously a well-off family, capable of providing the best for her.'

Although the notion of his sister living in a strange place unsettled him, Sirius seemed glad to know that she was, at least, living comfortably. After seeing how Harry had been brought up, he had worried himself sick that Ebony may be leading an equally unhappy life. Remus was adamant that this would not be the case.

'The Martin's are good people,' promised Remus. 'Kind, honest, generous, the best we could find. Mr Martin worked for Gringotts at the time; he was a Sealer I believe, in charge of making sure the vaults remained securely fastened. Mrs Martin is a muggle, can't have children of her own.'

Sirius pondered this information for a while; not knowing whether to hate the Martin's or be grateful for their help. Remus seemed to think the Martin's were the best option for Ebony; Sirius knew he should trust that judgement. It wasn't that simple though, this was his sister, what Remus thought was good for her and what his brotherly instincts told him could be two different things; he had to find out for himself.

'Did they tell you anything else?' He asked eagerly, 'Did they tell you what plans they had for Ebony? She's not at Hogwarts so they must have sent…..' 

Sirius suddenly stopped what he was saying, his eyes grew wide and moved rapidly as though in panic.

'What if she's a squib?'

'She's not.' Remus said firmly.

'But how do you know?' Sirius spoke rapidly, his voice full of worry. 'It happens…and her father….'

'Relax.' Remus grinned as he looked up at his friends' comical expression. 'They did blood tests before they took her away; the Martins were keen to have a witch or wizard. It's not a disease you know!' he laughed loudly ' Squibs don't grow an extra head , although I do worry about Filch… the head he's got is strange enough.'

'I know, I know,' Sirius said hastily, 'It's just that…..well….the Black's are pure-blood, always have been, it's an ancient blood-line….I just wanted to be sure that she…..I don't know.' 

Sirius spoke rapidly as though unsure of what he really meant.

'I suppose dad's ranting about the Black blood-line wore off on me "Black's are pure-bloods son" he used to say "There's never been anything but in our family". I know he was just an old fashioned man but I guess I took it to heart, Black's are pure-blood and if Ebony wasn't, then she was never really a Black.'

Remus seemed to understand what Sirius was saying even if Sirius didn't understand it himself. Ebony was only Sirius's half-sister to begin with, but he had managed to get past that. If Ebony did not share the same blood-line, if she wasn't even a witch, it would accentuate the fact that she was only partly related to him; it would alienate her from his family even more.

'So, why was Martin so keen to have a witch for a child? If his wife was a muggle why should it matter?'

Remus knew that this was just an offhand enquiry, but the answer to this question could be the one that hurt Sirius the most.

'The Martin's were the last of their family; Mr Martin was keen to have adopted a witch to carry on the magical ancestry.'

As Remus had predicted, Sirius became enraged. He sat upright, his facial expression rigid with fury. 

'_The family ancestry_? _My family ancestry is that? Does it escape his attention that Ebony has nothing to do with __his family ancestry?'_

Remus knew that civil conversation had run its course, it was useless talking to Sirius once he had been angered. Deciding it best to ignore Sirius's temper than to stay and argue Remus stood up to leave the room. He had made it to the door when Sirius called out to him.

'Wait.'

Remus turned to his friend, the stern expression on his face served to warn Black that he would not take anymore of his anger. Knowing that he was pushing Remus's good nature Sirius made his question short and spoke with absolute calm.

'The blood tests?'

Remus had no intention of getting into a drawn out explanation, he replied simply.

'Ebony is pure-blood, either her father is pure-blooded too or she has only your mother's blood in her veins. Black blood.'

With this statement he left the room, hoping that Sirius would be feeling less aggressive upon his return.

Sirius sat in silence for several hours, undisturbed in the Lupin's living room; he supposed that Remus had warned his parents to give the room a wide berth.

Thoughts swirled around in his mind causing his head to throb painfully. He now had the facts, at least all of the facts to which he had access. The question was how would he act upon them? 

Remus's judgement was all he had to rely on. His friend believed the Martin family were capable parents; he had no other opinion to consider. He had an address, whether Ebony still lived there was another matter. He knew that Ebony was definitely a witch, but she did not attend Hogwarts. Or did she? It was, after all, completely possible that she did. Did the Martin's change her name? Did they ever tell her of her past? Was she simply attending Hogwarts under an alternative name? If she was then that meant that Harry could have spoken to her, Remus could even have taught her unknowingly. 

The not-knowing drove Sirius momentarily mad. He had to know. The worries and theories that swam in his head burned a nagging hole in his brain. He had to find her, not a single doubt plagued him, and he knew it had to be done. He immediately jumped to his feet and went in search of Remus.

Remus, he found, was sitting on a thin, wooden bench in the front yard, apparently lost in thought. His face filled with alarm as Sirius strode rapidly towards him, fearful of what state of mind his temperamental friend might be in.

'Remus,' Sirius gasped as he kneeled down in front of the bench. His cheeks looked pink and flustered his eyes wide and almost excited. 'I've got to find her, now.'

'What?' Remus responded, a bemused expression on his face. 'Are you mad? Have you seen the time?'

'Well ok, tomorrow. Moony I have to do it; I have to. You said you'd help me. Will you come? You have to be back at Hogwarts the day after and I can't do it alone.' 

The urgency in Black's face said it all. He was a desperate man. Remus had no choice, he had promised to help.

'You'll have to contact Mr Mart…'

'No' Sirius cut in 'No way, he might refuse to let us see her.'

'She'll be at school.'

The look of excitement and hope suddenly drained from Sirius's face, it was painful for Remus to watch. The face before him turned white, gaunt and almost devoid of life.

'It's not long Sirius.' Remus said, attempting to sound cheerful, it's only a few weeks until Christmas. Look let's just do what we planned ok, you come to Hogwarts for Christmas day and we'll go and look for her before New Year.'

Sirius did not seem cheered by this thought, New Year seemed an age away. How could he have forgotten about school? He scolded himself silently for being so stupid, for allowing himself to get so worked up.

'Hold on.' Remus said slowly, a wide grin spreading across his face. 'She isn't at Hogwarts.'

'She might be under another name.' Sirius told his friend, unable to keep the crestfallen look from his face.

'No, no, no' Remus chimed. 'Mr Martin told me….I remember now….I asked him how he intended to…well...you know….. How he would keep her from being confronted about you. He told me he intended to send her to Beauxbatons, he had attended that school himself and the hype over your 'crimes' would be much reduced in another country.'

'So?' Sirius asked sadly, he had hoped that Remus's sudden burst of happiness might have been over something slightly more relevant.

'Remember Francesca Thedomeda?'

'That Beaubaxtons bird you dated in sixth year? What about her?'

Remus smiled at his friend's uncommon lack of intelligence. 'Remember I used to go into Hogsmeade on Saturdays to visit her?'

A huge smile suddenly spread across Sirius's handsome face, the penny had finally dropped. His dark eyes sparkled as he laughed.

'Beauxbatons students are allowed home on weekends!'

Engulfed in his friend's happiness, Remus threw his arms around Sirius's shoulder. 

'We'd better get up early mate, from what I remember the Beauxbatons Express leaves at half past one!'

Sirius had never felt such a strong sense of happiness before. He was so excited he almost felt sick. He was going to find Ebony. With any luck he would be seeing her tomorrow!


	8. Family Ties

Thank you for r/r's!

Hermione DB- Sorry for not putting you as Bill's girlfriend I will try and add it somewhere. I want to join the 'fuzzy hug for Remus' club! Thank you for Sirius comments; I hope he's proud. I think I'm going to cry now!

Gaul- Thank you for reading, I'm glad you're enjoying my fic! I love new readers!

Padfoot1979- (love the name by the way) Thank you for your comments, I'm glad you approve! I think half of your question will be answered in this chapter so hope you like!

Wintermoon- Thank you for the pumpkin pasties they were absolutely delicious. Do you make them yourself? Thank you for reviewing, though how you always manage to be the first to do so I'll never know.

Right ok, we can start now…..

_Family Ties_

Sirius didn't need to be told to rise early; in fact he never went to sleep. He felt so anxious and excited about visiting his sister that he couldn't possibly sleep. He tossed and turned all night long, his head full of thought. He couldn't wait to arrive at the Martin house and greet his younger sibling; but on the other hand he was dreading it. 

What would he say? 

How would she react? 

What if she didn't want to know - didn't even care that she had an older brother? 

The idea of Ebony rejecting him was more than Sirius could bare; but he had to know. 

He had to at least try. 

Sirius turned his mind to happier thought of his sister. 

What did she look like? 

He could easily envision the Ebony that he had known all those years ago; she had been small, chubby and pink in complexion. He prayed that she would not have changed too much, although hopefully she would be somewhat taller. Remembering photographs he had seen of his mother at seventeen, Sirius imagined that Ebony would look quite similar, on the short side but slim and beautiful with a full face. She had certainly inherited her mother's dark hair, which he pictured cascading down the length of her back.

He could picture her perfectly.

'For God's sake! Padfoot!'

Sirius was pulled from his train of thought by an angry cry from Remus. He looked up from his place on the floor and saw his friend staring wearily down upon him from his bed. 

'Will you stop fidgeting! I would like some sleep!'

'Sorry Moony.' Sirius replied as he rolled over onto his side. 

But it was no use, he could not possibly sleep. He tip-toed quietly out of the bed room and made his way down the creaky staircase and into the living room. Settling down upon the settee he returned to his quiet thoughts.

Trying to evoke his picture of Ebony, Sirius was sadly disappointed to find that his mind had now wandered to Mr Martin. He stood there, a man in his early fifties, six feet tall with dark grey hair. He was a broad set man with an irritatingly happy smile. He seemed to laugh at Sirius, the horrible, mocking laugh of a man who had benefited from another's misfortunes. Sirius held the memory in contempt. He wanted very much to reach into his mind and strangle this annoying figure, the man Ebony would call 'Dad'.

'Just a few more hours,' Sirius told himself. 'Just a few more hours and you can wrap your hands around…'

 'Well you've done it now.' 

Remus had just entered the room, fully dressed and wearing a very annoyed expression.

'I can't get back to sleep.'

'Sorry Moony.' Sirius apologised again, glad this time that his friend had interrupted his over-active imagination.

'Never mind.' Remus said softly. 'Listen, Padfoot, I've been thinking.'

Something about the look on his friend's face told Sirius that he was about to hear something that he wouldn't like.

Remus carried on, 'I don't think it's a good idea for you to just turn up on Mr Martin's doorstep today, it just doesn't seem fair. He should be warned.'

Sirius threw his head back in disbelief, his fists clenched around clumps of dark hair.

'You promised me,' he growled as he stared up at the ceiling. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. 

How could Remus turn his back on him now? 

After everything they had discussed and that long night of sickening anxiety, how could his friend let him down?

Remus sat down by his friend, determined to state his case. 

'Please try to understand,' he begged, unsure if Sirius was paying him any attention. 

He spoke again  in a soft tone. 'We can't just spring this on him, or Ebony for that matter.'

Sirius turned to face his friend and looked him directly in the eye. 'I am going to see her today, I will not wait,' he said firmly.

'I'm not asking you to. What I propose is that I go to the Martin's today and explain our situation, hopefully even plan a meeting.' 

Remus stood up and walked towards the door. Before leaving the room he stopped and said 'I'm, not saying don't come, just not as yourself.'

Alone in the room once again Sirius sat for a long time contemplating Remus's suggestion. He had to admit it did make sense. He could meet Ebony today in canine form. He would be able to see his sister and learn more about her family without putting anyone on the spot. He would be present during any discussions and would have no opportunity to display his famous temper. In the back of his mind he was also relieved that he could delay the awkward, formal meeting; he would be able to learn about his sister first and then later prepare how to introduce himself properly. Sirius would be safe as a dog, no one had learned of his animagus form since his release. Dumbledore thought it would be best kept as a secret, the Ministry would not approve of anyone giving potential murderers tips on breaking out of Azkaban.

Remus returned in an hour and said. 'I think we ought to be leaving now. I thought we'd take the Knight Bus, I can't stomach that bike again.'

The mere though of having to ride on Sirius's flying motorcycle had turned Lupin's face a deathly shade of pale. Seeing his friend's apparent fear, Sirius gave a short bark-like laugh. Taking a deep breath he clasped his hands together, so firmly that the knuckles turned white. He closed his eyes tightly as though trying to empty his mind and then slowly got to his feet.

The two men silently pulled on their winter cloaks and walked down to the end of the Lupin's drive-way. Remus stuck out his wand hand and as if from out of nowhere a giant purple bus screeched to a halt before them.

The doors of the bus flew open and a spotty young man with large ears stood upon the steps.

'Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard.' 

The conductor, Stan Shunpike, spoke in the squeaky voice of an adolescent yet he looked to be about the age of twenty three. 

'Hold on a minute,' he continued eyeing the two friends suspiciously. 'You don't look too stranded to me. Is this your house?' 

'No, no' Remus lied. 'We got lost, ended up here by accident.'

'I see,' said Stan unsurely. 'Hop aboard then. Where you off to?'

Sirius began to scramble in his pocket for the address but Remus seemed to know it off by heart.

Once the men had paid their fares and settled themselves down Remus began to speak.

'Don't worry Padfoot. I know you must be nervous. I'm sure everything will be ok.'

For the rest of the journey Sirius remained silent and perfectly still. Remus turned to speak to him on several occasions but never quite found the heart to disturb his friend. Sirius was undoubtedly lost within his mind, it seemed wrong to snap him back to reality when he had so many important matters to deal with.

It took forty minutes for the Knight Bus to arrive at the Martin's house. When it finally did Sirius completely pale and on the verge of falling from the bus . His dark eyes were wide with fear, his hands clasped nervously in his pockets. 

He could see the house from here; it stood in solitude within its large grassy grounds. It wasn't a large manor house like the Black's but an over-sized cottage with a thatched roof and tiny, leaded windows. In the front garden stood several bare trees and empty flower beds, Sirius imagined that it would be a beautiful place in summer when in full bloom. A long swing-chair stood by the front door which looked like it had not long since been covered in ivy. Bright blue shutters hung by the windows and a tiny bird house hung between the upper windows. Out of the back of the house Sirius could see a dapple grey pony drinking from a tin basin and a large wire cage filled with Gibbigribs, a bird-like creature with the ears of a rabbit. It broke his heart to admit it, but he could see that Ebony would be very happy here, the wonderland house looked perfect for a small girl.

'Right,' Sirius muttered as Lupin placed a brotherly hand upon his shoulder.

'It's up to you Padfoot, it's your call.'

Giving the house one last look of mingled hatred and approval, Sirius transformed quickly into his animagus form. Remus's hand hovered in the air that had once been filled by his friend's shoulder.

Lupin set of towards the house. With every step he took he felt every ounce of confidence that he possessed fade to nothing. He dreaded the moment when his fist would meet that front door, summoning those within to the terrible news that their lives were about to be turned upside down. He half wanted to change his mind and run back home, but he couldn't. He looked down at the shaggy, black dog that padded along so happily behind him and knew that he could never break his promise.

Not allowing his mind to engage in any further debate, Remus strode down the Martin's garden path and knocked sharply upon the wooden door.

In a matter of seconds a short, thin figure emerged from the front room and made its way towards the door, Remus could see the person's silhouette commencing from the rippled glass panel in the door. He couldn't see properly who it was but his heart stopped all the same. Something in his soul was praying that it wouldn't be one of the Martin's; that they had moved home long ago.

Sirius evidently thought no such thing. He sat by Lupin's feet with a distinct look of glee upon his canine face. His wagging tail pounded upon the gravely footpath, his dark eyes wide with anticipation.

With a soft click the front door began to open very slowly. The occupant was obviously wary of intruders. While Remus lost all feeling in his limbs, Sirius looked as though he was trying very hard not to jump up and push the door open himself.

Before the person within the house was even visible, a croaky voice came from beyond the door.

'Mr Lupin. I thought you'd be coming.'

Tilting his head Remus could see Mr Martin peering between the gap in the door.

'Mr Martin, I'm sorry to intrude. May we come in?' Remus asked politely.

'We?' The man inquired.

Scolding himself for his mistake, Remus replied. 'Myself and my dog.'

Mr Martin pushed the door ajar and walked back inside the house without further enquiry.

Remus followed him along a narrow passageway and into a room at the back of the house with Sirius close to his feet.

The two friends found themselves inside the Martin's kitchen where Mr Martin had already seated himself.

This was the first opportunity Sirius had to take a look at his sister's carer and what he saw shocked him. 

This man was certainly not who he had been expecting to see. He wasn't the tall, broad, smiling figure that he had imagined. In fact, Mr Martin was quite the opposite. He was a short, skeletally thin man who looked to be in his early seventies. His face was weary and heavily lined. His head was thinly covered in fine, white hair and his hands were bony with fingers that seemed capable of little movement. Sirius felt a pang of guilt as he looked at the frail figure before him. He had despised and resented this man; looking at him now it seemed unthinkable that he could have been jealous of such a sickly looking character. Remus had said that Mr Martin was old but Sirius had merely thought he had meant older than Ebony's real parents, not old enough to be her grandparents.

Remus sat down opposite Mr Martin at the large, pine dining table. The old man sat hunched over the table with his head bowed, unconvincingly trying to conceal the saddened look upon his face. He folded his arms tightly around his chest, holding his navy cardigan closely to his body. Remus felt extremely unsettled as he watched the old man, his health had obviously deteriorated since their last meeting. 

'Mr Martin.' Lupin began.

'Theodore,' the man corrected quietly.

Remus smiled warmly as Martin made eye contact. He was determined to remain friendly and not distress his host.

'Theodore. Would you prefer if we talked with your wife present.'

Mr Martin's eyes wandered sadly to his knees, his silvery eyes filled with sorrow.

'Mrs Martin passed on four years ago.'

Sirius, who had settled under the table beside Lupin's feet, pricked up his ears. 

Dead? 

Ebony had lost her mother, her second mother, when she had been only thirteen. He wished he had been there. He wished with all of his heart that he could have been of help, comforted his sister.

Remus too seemed shocked by the news. 'I'm sorry Theodore, truly I am.'

'Don't worry about it,' Theodore said waving a long, spindly hand. 'Ebony was a tower of strength to me, she pulled me through. We pulled each other through.'

If both Sirius and Remus had felt just one twinge of guilt since meeting Mr Martin it was now. Ebony was clearly the old man's world, the only family he had left. Remus wanted to get up and leave but Sirius remained hopeful of a compromise.

'That's why you're here, isn't it?' continued Martin's croaky voice. 'I read about Black's release in the Prophet, of course I expected one of you to come.'

Remus leant across the table and placed a warm hand upon Theodore Martin's arm.

'Nobody is going to take her away from you, I promise.'

Mr Martin looked thoughtfully at Remus, his pale eyes full of disbelief.

'What then?'

Remus inhaled deeply and began to relay Sirius's wishes.

'My friend didn't ask for his sister to be taken away Mr Martin, but he does accept that you too have a place in her life. I know that he is extremely appreciative of all you have done for her. He simply asks to spend time with her, to rebuild their relationship.'

Theodore eyed his guest suspiciously. 'He won't take her away?'

'No' Remus replied, ignoring Sirius who was now biting on his leg in disapproval.

'Have you told Ebony about her family? Is she too expecting Sirius to come?'

Martin rested his head upon a weak, pale palm. 

'Had too,' he replied. 'She always knew she was adopted, my dear wife insisted upon it. We told her that her real mum and dad died, didn't seem much point in upsetting her with anymore detail than that. When I heard that Black was back among us I had to tell her the truth, I knew he wouldn't stay away. She was shocked at first, Sirius Black has always been a dirty word amongst us wizards; but when she knew everything she came around. She seemed interested at first but said she wouldn't go looking for him, though I think she only said that so as not to upset me. She said if he came she'd see him but I could read her like a book; I know that after I pass over she'll want to find him.'

From beneath the wooden table Sirius felt his heart begin to race, Ebony wanted to meet him. She didn't resent him for his imprisonment, she was interested in seeing him. He found himself fighting the urge to transform back into his regular form and shout 'Look it's me, where is she?' 

That was a good question; where was she?'

As if reading his friend's mind Remus posed that very question.

'She's just gone out to the green-grocers.' Theodore replied. 'She should be back soon. Best leave the discussion until she gets back, eh?'

Remus nodded in agreement and resigned to making general enquiries.

'Does Ebony attend Beauxbatons Academy? You told me you wanted to send her there.'

Theodore nodded slowly. 'Not many people had heard of her brother in France. I knew there would be no chance of her being recognised, from the photo's I have seen of him in the Prophet they do look extraordinary alike.'

Before Remus could respond a clatter sounded from the adjoining hallway and the front door opened. Sirius leapt to his feet banging his head on the underside of the table. 

This was it, it had to be her. 

Anxiously digging his claws into the carpet Sirius fixed his eyes upon the doorway, hoping and praying that the sound from the hallway had been Ebony returning from the shop. His heart thumped in his chest, his breathing quickened and became so loud that it earned him a sharp kick in the ribs from Remus. If he had been sitting there in human form his hands would have been shaking with anticipation.

Suddenly a voice called out from the front door. A soft, cheery, female voice. 

'It's just me father, I managed to get everything on the list.'

The fur on the back of Sirius's neck prickled, a tingle ran down his spine. That was unmistakably the voice of Ebony Black, she sounded exactly like her mother.

The footsteps that approached the large kitchen suddenly came to a stop.

Ebony stood in the doorway of the room, her arms full with paper bags.

She was everything Sirius had imagined her to be. Short and slim with long, flowing raven hair. He didn't think he had ever seen such a beautiful face, except his mothers; the two women were so alike they could have been twins, except for their eyes. Latia had very dark eyes whereas her daughters were pale and dazzling. 

Sirius desperately wanted to transform. He wanted to hug this stunning young girl.he wanted to make amends- but he couldn't. He knew he couldn't, he would have to wait. At the very least he wanted to approach her, but he found he was glued to the spot. His head filled with a million and one thoughts and feelings yet his body registered completely numb.

'Oh, I'm sorry to interrupt you father, I didn't realise you had guests.' Ebony apologised looking towards Lupin.

'That's alright Ebony dear.' Mr Martin said weakly. 'This is Mr Remus Lupin; he is actually here to speak to you.'

Ebony looked astonished as she surveyed Remus, seemingly wondering how this man knew her; she certainly hadn't seen him before.

'I'll just unpack the groceries and I'll be there in a minute,' she replied, smiling politely at Remus.

Finding his feet Sirius followed his sister to the far side of the kitchen, where she greeted him with a pat on the head.

'Oh, hello,' she smiled, playfully tickling the black dog's chin. 'Aren't you a sweetie?'

Sirius barked happily and returned the compliment by licking Ebony's hand affectionately. He looked up into her large, shiny eyes with pride; she was not only beautiful but polite and friendly. As much as he hated to admit it, the Martin's had obviously brought her up well. He continued to follow Ebony's every move, which luckily she seemed to find endearing. After finishing her work in the kitchen she sat down at the dining table between her father and Remus.

Remus wore an expression of deep worry, only outmatched by Mr Martin who now looked as though he were going to faint. The old man's hands clutched the edge of the table tightly as he introduced his guest properly.

'Mr Lupin' Theodore said slowly 'Is a friend of Sirius Black...your brother.'

Ebony, who had been playing with the dog at her feet, suddenly looked up. Her almond shaped eyes narrowed as she asked her father 'I don't have to leave, do I?'

When Theodore didn't answer Remus stepped in.

'He doesn't want to take you away Ebony; he just wants to meet you.'

Ebony's dark skin seemed to pale, giving her the same worried expression that her two companions wore.

'I won't leave my father,' she muttered to herself, trying to block out what she was hearing by twiddling with Sirius's ears. Her brother barked and licked her palm, desperately wanting her to smile at the news of his return.

'Nobody is asking you too.' Remus said softly as he looked into her eyes. 'Sirius just wants to meet you, spend a little time with you.'

Ebony didn't know what to say. Although her father had told her to expect such a visit she was in shock. She had taken Theodore's warning half-heartedly and truthfully did not know how she felt.

'Would it help if I told you about him?' Remus asked, coaxing the girl into his way of thinking.

She nodded without thinking, without really hearing. All she could think of was her father. She couldn't leave him, he couldn't cope- she didn't even want to. 

She loved this man dearly; he was the only family she knew. Of course she had wondered, even dreamed of her real family, usually during moments of hardship at the Martin home. Since learning of her brother's existence she had resisted from building her hopes, but now the moment had arrived when she would have to make a choice. 

Should she meet Sirius Black? 

She did not want to risk upsetting her father; but could she live with herself if she turned the opportunity down? If she refused to meet her brother now she may never get another chance. Her father was a very ill man and she had learned the hard way that her elders were not immortal. The only thing that had pulled her through the pain of her mother's death was the love of her father. Once her father passed away she would have nobody; as much as she hated to admit it her father was not indestructible and the time may come when she would need her brother. She should at least give him a chance.

'When you were born,' Remus began, a faraway expression in his eyes, 'Sirius did everything for you, me and his best friend used to joke about it, he acted more like a father than a brother. Your mother went through a difficult period after your birth; even before her death it was Sirius who raised you.'

'What about my birth father, why didn't he look after me?' Ebony asked with interest.

Remus could have kicked himself; he was being careless with the facts. If he told Ebony the full truth of her birth now then the girl would undoubtedly refuse to be pulled into the tangled lives of the Black's. Sirius trusted him to do this properly, not ruin his chances completely. Thinking quickly, Remus replied.

'Mr Black was an Auror. Around the time of your birth You-Know-Who was very powerful, your father had very little time to spend at home.'

Ebony accepted Remus's explanation without dispute, leaving him free to carry on with his story.

'He was devoted to you, Sirius, you were all the family he had. When he was taken to Azkaban it came as a complete shock but, and I am ashamed to say it, I believed him to be guilty. It was a known fact that one of our number was spying for the Death Eaters. I took you in for a time, but I knew that it would be better for you to be brought up away from the hatred your brother had attracted. The sister of a mass murderer would never be allowed to lead a normal life. I gave personal approval for the Martin's to adopt you. I knew you'd be safe here.'

Ebony now seemed lost in thought. There were so many things she had often wondered but never dared asked, now all of her questions were being answered at once. 

When she had been told that she'd lived with her brother she automatically assumed that she had been a burden. It did not seem feasible that a young man should want to look after a young child. She imagined that she had been handed out to baby sitters whilst he had gotten on with his own life. She imagined being left on the doorsteps of countless old women who looked after her out of pity and scolded her brother behind his back. She never once considered that he had been pleased to look after her, that he had loved her like his own and forsaken his own happiness. 

Ebony had also wondered how she had come to live with the Martin's. She thought perhaps, that she had lived in an orphanage not unlike a dog's home where countless couples would parade up and down the long corridors before selecting the fittest, prettiest and most well-behaved child they could find. Orphans, to her, were unwanted, unloved children whose parent's gave them up to strangers because they could not stand to have such children in their presence. Ebony now realised that this was not the case, she had been surrounded by loving people since birth. She was had never been hard done by, she was extremely lucky; not only did she have one, but two families who had held her very dear.

'Sirius doesn't want to take me away?' Ebony asked Remus.

'He wants whatever you want.' Remus replied confidently.

Ebony looked to her father and promised 'Nobody will take me away father.'

The old man smiled, reassured by his daughters promise. 'Have you anything you want to say to Mr Lupin?' he asked, already knowing what was coming next.

'Yes.' Ebony replied with a grin. 'When can we meet?'

Before Remus could reply, a great, black dog jumped upon the young girls lap with such a force that she was almost knocked backwards. She laughed loudly as Sirius licked at her face and then began to bounce around the room excitedly. 

Mr Martin watched the dog's behaviour with astonishment but Remus hardly noticed. He was too busy marvelling at Ebony's laugh which sounded exactly like a bark.


	9. Together Again

Hello, two new chapters here today! I'm trying to get this one done quickly, not much left to go. Like I said at the beginning, this was only meant to be a small fic to tide me over until the end of exams and I'm all excited about part three now! I'd also like to say that if you don't like this chapter I won't hate you cos I'm not too happy with it myself.

Polkat: I'm sooo pleased that you think Sirius and Remus are keeping in character cos I love them and worried that they might not seem right. Ebony's father? I didn't really want to get too hung up on that but I'll drop the odd clue, mainly in part 3 (which is coming very soon!) but there could possibly be one lying around here somewhere!

Hermione 'DB' Granger: Would I EVER make Sirius act like a nasty brat?! He's a little angel really, just a cheeky one! I suppose you would be able to guess Sirius's actions, I never really talk about much else do I? I told you I wouldn't let him…you know.

Gaul1: Glad you're enjoying! I'll keep writing as long as you keep reading!

Together Again 

As Remus left the Martin house that afternoon he couldn't help but feel slightly uneasy about the meeting that had just taken place. Ebony seemed very happy to be meeting her brother and even suggested that they meet during her next weekend visit, just six days away. Sirius was obviously overjoyed, maybe too overjoyed. Remus worried that his friend may have been building his hopes too, high too soon. Ebony had only agreed to one meeting, there may never be another and she certainly had no intention of leaving her father. On several occasions Remus tried to put this point across to his friend but there was something about the twinkle in Sirius's eyes that always stopped him mid sentence. Remus hadn't seen so much happiness in that face since it left him sixteen years ago. Knowing that his thoughts would anger his friend, Remus held his breath and forced the words to go unspoken. Only time knew for certain how Sirius and Ebony's relationship would end, for now the former deserved some sunshine. The next morning Remus simply wished his friend good luck before journeying alone back to Hogwarts.

Five days. Just five days. Sirius could hardly contain his happiness as the time slowly passed. It seemed impossible to wipe the grin from his face as he went about the most boring chores in a sickeningly chirpy fashion. Mrs Lupin found herself on the point of exasperation after asking him to help clean Mr Lupin's Land rover. After three choruses of  'Starman' and a very loud rendition of  'American Pie' she was ready to tip a bucket of soapy water over his head.

After lunch Sirius entertained the chickens with his version of 'Bohemian Rhapsody', complete with air guitar and then attempted to re-enact 'Grease' as a one man show. (Lily had ensured that the Marauders all knew her muggle music records off by heart, prompting James to mutate from reasonably sane wizard to disco king) 

By bedtime Sirius found that he had lost his voice. When he hadn't uttered a word by Friday, the Lupin's began to worry that he may be permanently mute.

Saturday morning arrived and, to his relief, Sirius found that his vocal chords had fully recovered from their prolonged abuse. 

Now that the initial excitement had worn off a strange sense of fear swept over him. He suddenly felt very alone. Remus was no longer here to tell him what to do, to reassure him and to give him advice. He now had to face his greatest fear alone. If Ebony rejected him now, there would be no one there to pick him up and help him to his feet.

 It was times like this that he wished James were here. Of course, he always wished that James were here but now he wished it even more. The void James had left in his heart seemed larger than ever.

James always knew what to say.

 Remus was a great strength to Sirius and he was eternally thankful to have him back in his life, but somehow Remus just didn't understand. Maybe it was because James had a son of his own that he always seemed to have the answers. Harry had been the most precious thing in James's life and after the child was born the bond between the two friends seemed to grow even stronger. The fact was that Remus could never understand what Sirius felt in the way that James could. He could always give his opinion and offer support, but he lacked the solid knowledge that James always had to share. 

'If only Prongs were here now.'

The thought swirled around in Sirius's mind as he climbed out of bed. He felt instantly guilty as his mind wandered to Remus and all of the support he had shown over the last few years. 

Trying to close his mind Sirius began to prepare himself for the day ahead. He pulled on the smartest muggle clothing he owned and made his way into the bathroom. 

After showering and applying enough aftershave to knock out a small army, Sirius began to nervously rehearse what he was going to say to Ebony when they met.

'Hello Ebony, I'm you brother,' he said softly, smiling into the mirror.

A shrill giggle came from within the glass surface.

'What?' Sirius snapped angrily 'Don't you ever sleep?'

The mirror did not reply.

Clearing his voice Sirius repeated the sentence in a deeper, more formal tone.

'Hello Ebony, I am your brother.'

This time the mirror began to laugh hysterically, causing Sirius to clench his fists and yell.

'That is it!' he fumed. 'I have had it with you! If you aren't making crass comments and ogling me in the bath, you are being insolent and frustrating, I'm going to have you taken down!'

Looking into the mirror, Sirius saw that his face was now bright red, his eyes burned with anger.

'Pull yourself together!' he told himself. 'Yes it's going to be a stressful day but for god's sake you are shouting at a mirror!'

Back in his room, Sirius sat down upon the bed heavily and gave a loud sigh. How he was going to get through today he did not know, in truth he would be glad when it was all over. 

Four hours to go. 

Although he knew he had everything prepared Sirius could not stop double checking everything; his hair, his clothing, even his motorbike. 

'Hair fine, clothes not creased, bike polished' he muttered to himself for the forty second time.

Mr Lupin came down the creaking stairs and, watching Sirius stood in front of the kitchen sink sniffing his under-arm, he laughed loudly.

'It must be a woman,' he chuckled, 'I know that behaviour very well.'

Sirius grinned remembering the days that Lupin was referring to. It didn't seem so long ago that he and Remus were pacing around the Lupin farmhouse, preening themselves and exchanging successful chat-up lines. 

He wished Remus could be here.

Two hours. 

Sirius wandered aimlessly up and down the hallway chanting silently in his head.

'Hello Ebony, you probably don't remember me. I'm Sirius, your brother.'

Yes, that would probably do, to the point without being over the top. And then…..Goodness this was going to be hard work. Just an hour and a half to go and he had only just worked out the first line.

What should he say?

What did they have in common?

The past. He could talk about the past. 

'Well Ebony I don't actually know who your father is but mine certainly didn't want you.'

No, the past was a subject best avoided, for now anyway.

What do teenagers do these days?

School?

No, kids don't want to talk about school.

Careers?

This was getting harder by the minute. Sirius sadly realised his problem. Ebony was more than twenty years his junior. That hadn't mattered when she was a baby, but now they were worlds apart. What did Sirius know about sixteen year old girls? Of course at Hogwarts he had been acquainted with numerous sixteen year old girls, but this was very different. He had become very skilled at attracting young girls at school but he doubted that he had ever sat down to have a serious discussion with one. It wasn't only the age difference that scared Sirius; his sister was living in a completely different time zone. After twelve years in prison he had lost touch with the world; even his time with Harry had not given him a clear picture of how teenagers in the nineteen nineties lived.

There was so much that Sirius had not considered. He had only one hour left to think and that time would be spent on the journey. He pulled on his leather jacket and clambered up onto his trusty motorcycle, the chilly winter air blowing in his face. The Lupin's both came out to wish him good luck and a safe journey. 

With the turn of a key the motorcycle roared into action, leading its rider higher and higher into the pale blue sky. With his mind set firmly on the clouds in front of him Sirius gave himself little room to think about what he was about to do, arriving at the Martin house in one piece was now his main priority. 

The thick, grey cloud cover continued for miles making it very difficult to see the ground below. After almost an hour of driving Sirius  checked his compass and realised that he was almost there. Easing his handlebars into a downward position, he prepared to descend. 

The cloud cover quickly gave way to a view of the quiet country lanes surrounding the Martin's home. The green meadows stretched out as far as the eye could see with a few thatched cottages littering the landscape.

There it was. The Martin's house. 

The small leaded windows with their bright blue shutters were coming into plain view. 

With a thud the motorcycle hit the ground and skidded to a halt.

The homely little cottage seemed to bear down upon Sirius like an almighty giant. He sat upon his motorbike, perfectly still, just inches away from the garden path. The dapple grey pony could be seen grazing just on the other side of the garden fence and the swing chair by the front door swayed gently in the wind.

Sirius pulled off his helmet and using his wand fastened it securely to his brake lever. Slowly dismounting his bike he felt his breathing quicken as his heart began to pound. Feeling very self conscious, he let his eyes wander over the front of the house. 

Could Ebony see him now? Was she watching out of a window, or standing on the other side of the wooden door?

Sirius urged himself to walk forwards, if Ebony was watching she'd probably think he was weird if he just stood there staring at the house. With each step forward he took, his legs seemed to grow weaker and weaker. His knees shook violently causing him to walk like a cross eyed pigeon.

On approaching the front door he found himself once again suffering from his door phobia. 

'Just knock, it isn't hard' he urged himself.

But he didn't need to.

Before he had the chance to raise his hand, the front door swung open.

There stood in the doorway was the young girl Sirius had dreamed of for so long.

Something in Ebony's expression told Sirius that she was feeling just as nervous as him. She wore a pretty, frilled dress robes with her long, black, wavy hair hanging loosely down her back. Her lips curved into a friendly smile but her wide, brown eyes gave an anxious glint that betrayed her act of confidence.

Sirius opened his mouth to introduce himself but found that he could not recall his own name. As he stood with his mouth hanging open, the young lady spoke in the soft tones that were so similar to her mothers.

'I'm Ebony.'

She held out a hand that trembled ever so slightly.

Taking his sisters hand in his own Sirius felt as though he could cry. Her soft skin warmed his cold palm as he finally regained his composure.

'I'm Sirius. I'm your brother.'


	10. Return To The Past

Ok, so here's the second new chapter, as promised!

_Return To The Past_

Ebony smiled, her eyes fixed upon her brother's; she marvelled at how similar they were to her own. It seemed strange to her. All of her life she had lived with the Martin's, who were so different to her in looks and temperament; for the first time ever she was looking into a face like her own. 

Allowing her vision to fully take in the man before her Ebony suddenly felt a strange sense of belonging. For the first time in over ten years, she was looking at a member of her own family, a man that shared her blood.

Sirius smiled nervously as Ebony stood aside and allowed him to step inside the large cottage.

'Is that my mother's smile, or my father'?' she wondered silently as she lead him into the living room.

The Martin's living room was surprisingly small. Two settees stood against the two far walls and an armchair was perched half-heartedly in front of the long windows. Ebony sat down and gestured for Sirius to sit by her side. Looking extremely lost, Sirius obeyed feeling extremely uncomfortable.

He sat facing the girl and noticed that she too looked extremely uneasy. For a few moments they each sat in complete silence, not knowing what to say, too scared to say what was on their minds.

Sirius wished he could transform again, meeting Ebony had seemed so easy from a dog's point of view. He looked at the young girl, willing her to smile, just wishing that she would revert to the happy, sunny child that he had encountered just six days ago. 

'Maybe I should ask him if he wants a drink. Or maybe I should allow him to make the first move. Oh, God this is hard!' 

Ebony's mind felt so full of doubts and hesitations that she found herself unable to speak. She had hoped that Sirius would lead the way but she realised that she had been naïve; he looked just as nervous as she felt. Searching within her massive pool of thoughts she pulled out a question and forced it out of her mouth before she had time to change her mind.

'Have you travelled far?'

As soon as she had spoken Ebony felt a thousand times happier. 

She had done it. 

Maybe it was only a small start, but she had broken the ice.

Sirius smiled. 'Not too far. I came on my motorcycle.'

'Yes.' Ebony nodded. 'I saw you arrive.'

Sirius grinned inside. So she _had been watching. He felt a lot more comfortable now that the conversation had begun. Ebony was such a polite young lady, softly spoken with a warm friendly voice. It was almost like listening to his mother, only Ebony had the slightest hint of a southern accent. He watched her intently as she spoke, everything about her reminded him of his mother; it didn't occur to him how much he reminded Ebony of herself. She had the glittering dark eyes, the same black, tangled hair, even the same wide smile as her older brother. _

Before Sirius could stop himself, his thoughts came tumbling from his lips.

'You look so much like our mum.'

His brows immediately furrowed in horror. Had he really just said that?

Ebony shrank back into the sofa, her eyes flitted uncomfortably towards the window.

'Sorry.' Sirius apologised quickly. 'I didn't mean to say that.'

'Catherine Martin was my mother.' Ebony said firmly. 'I look nothing like her.'

Sirius looked at his sister with a mixed look of pity and annoyance. The girl had folded her arms tightly against her chest. With her head bowed beneath a mass of shiny hair and her bottom lip stuck out haughtily, Sirius would be forgiven for thinking she had copied the pose from him. 'The Black pet lip' James had called it, Latia did it too. 

How could a girl who had spent so long away from her family still have so much in common with them?

 Certainly the Black women both looked the same, mothers and daughters usually do. But so perfectly? Ebony wore her hair in the same style as her mothers, spoke like her mother, carried herself like her mother; how could she sit there and deny that they were ever related?

Sirius did not know how to reply. His instinct was to snap at the girl for being so selfish, for having the cheek to reject her real mother in that way; however, the other voice in his head, the one that usually spoke in the same accent as Remus, told him to be understanding and patient with her- it was not her fault that she didn't know her mum.

Slowly and unsurely, Sirius allowed the Remus-like voice to come out of his mouth, accepting that his friend was usually right in such situations.

'Ebony, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that.'

'It's ok.' Ebony replied sulkily. 'I mean that is why you're here, so that I can find out about my past…and get to know you.'

Sirius nodded. The gift of reason was obviously something that Ebony had received from the Martins.

'Where is Mr Martin?' Sirius asked, breaking away from the topic of family.

'He went to the Wizards Chess Hall; he thought we should be alone for a while.'

Ebony began to look very uneasy as she engaged eye contact with her brother and asked.

'Your…our….er…mother ...and father….tell me about them.'

Sirius was delighted to hear this question. He wanted more than anything for Ebony to once again become a Black, maybe knowledge would be the first stage of acceptance.

'Well,' he sighed, trying to put the words in order. 'Our mother, Latia…like I said, she looked just like you, scarily so.'

'And our father?' Ebony urged.

A fearful feeling took hold of Sirius's bones. 

Could he really tell her the truth? 

If he admitted to Ebony that she was only his half-brother would she still care? 

Surely the truth would only ruin any chance he had of rebuilding their relationship. 

Then again, lying to his sister so soon after their reunion was not a good foundation to try and rebuild on.

It was no use. For now he would stick to the easy version of the truth, the unabridged version would still be available when he and Ebony stood on more solid ground.

'Our Dad, was an Auror. He was a busy man; he never really spent much time at home.' Sirius lied, sticking to Remus's version of events.

Ebony sat a few moments, thinking over what Sirius had said and pondering her next question.

Seeing the thoughtful expression on his sister's face, Sirius began to realise that discussing his parents was actually very difficult. What exactly could he say? Neither of them had very much to do with the baby girl that he had practically raised as his own. He had no tales to tell of trips to the park, days at the beach or playing in the garden. Very soon she was going to realise this. How many stories could he tell her before she wondered why her parents weren't in a single one of them?

Ebony did not seem to mind her brother's short replies. 'It is early days' she thought 'I can always ask more when we know each other better.'

It scared Ebony to ask Sirius questions of his life. She wanted desperately to get to know the mysterious man at her side, but she knew she would not like what she heard. Sirius had been to Azkaban and had suffered great injustice; she did not want to ask him anything that may cause him upset.

With so many subjects that neither dared to approach the conversation soon dried up, leaving both parties feeling extremely awkward.

'So…' Sirius began, after a long, uncomfortable silence. 'Is there anything else that you want to know?'

To Ebony the question seemed bizarre. She wanted to know everything, from beginning to end. Approaching Sirius with her queries was her only problem.

'Can you just tell me all you can?' she asked in the only way she could while avoiding possible offence.

Sirius looked into his sister's dark eyes and smiled. 'I thought you'd never ask.'

In no time Sirius had told Ebony her family history from beginning to end- her birth, her parent's deaths, her time living with her brother, and her adoption. Of course not everything Sirius had said was the complete truth, not that he lied either, he simply gave Ebony a happier version of events.

'You really didn't mind looking after me?' Ebony asked.

'No way.' Sirius grinned, patting the girl affectionately on the shoulder. 'I loved every minute of it, you were everything to me- you still are.'

Sirius had expected Ebony to once again recoil uncomfortably at that remark. He was totally surprised when she threw her arms around his shoulders and gave him a short hug.

Sirius wondered if this could be the happiest moment of his life as he held the young girl closely in his arms. She felt warm against him as he inhaled the sweet smell of her hair. He could feel her heart beat against his chest as she whispered 'Thank you' in his ear. As she pulled away he kept a hand around her waist and with a smile replied, 'Don't mention it.'

After two hours the pair were chatting and laughing like old friends. After asking Ebony about her life at Beauxbatons, Sirius began to relive his days at Hogwarts, giving his sister plenty of tips on causing mayhem at school. To his delight he found that his sister was also a great lover of practical jokes. He barked with laughter as she told him of the time she had asked the Beauxbatons House-elves to sprinkle Sprite Dust over the professor's pillows, causing them to grow pointed ears and long noses over night. 

After giving Ebony a blow by blow account of how he and his friends had produced a magical map of Hogwarts, Sirius reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, toy rabbit. 

'I found it not long ago,' he told her handing her the toy. 'It was yours; I thought you'd like to have it.'

Ebony smiled sweetly as she ran a palm over the back of the rabbit's head.

'Thank you, I'll take good care of it.'

'It was called 'Bun.'' Sirius told her 'You could never say the whole word. We got it on your first visit to Diagon Alley; you wouldn't leave the house without it.'

Ebony looked at the rabbit's worn face. It had obviously been well loved. Why couldn't she remember it?

'We went to a man's house once,' she said quietly. 'He had big, round glasses. I think we saw him a lot.'

Sirius looked at the girl in surprise.

'You remember me?'

'Just bits.' She replied, looking at the floor.

'You must mean James.' Sirius replied sadly. 'He was my best friend, but he's gone now.'

'I'm sorry.' Ebony replied. 'Was he one of the…erm…Maunders..?'

'Marauders,' Sirius replied more brightly, always happy for an excuse to talk of his school days. 

'Searchers… We spent most of our spare time sneaking around Hogwarts, looking for secret passages. We came up with the name when we first started to write the map. Yes, James was a Marauder all right, the best, and Remus was one too.'

'So there were three of you?' Ebony asked with interest.

'Four.' Sirius replied bitterly. 'Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs.' 

'Who was the fourth?' Ebony enquired innocently.

Sirius shifted uncomfortably and turned to gaze out of the window.

'Wormtail, Peter Pettigrew. Traitor! It was Peter who framed me, had me sent to Azkaban.'

Ebony wished she had never asked. She should not have been so careless. She knew that Sirius had had a terrible past; she had asked too many questions.

'It's alright.' Sirius reassured her, reading her frown lines. 'They were the good days, at school. The only bad thing about those days was meeting him.'

'Why the funny names?' Ebony asked, sure that this question could cause no harm.

'I don't know that I can answer that.' Sirius replied. 'What we did in order to get those nicknames was not only highly illegal, but we did it to protect a friend. I'm not sure that that friend would want me to tell you his secret now, but one day.'

Although Sirius knew that Remus probably wouldn't want Ebony to know he was a werewolf, that was not his only reason for with holding this information. He knew that he could not tell Ebony of his animagus form just yet. If she found out that he was the black dog she had met just days earlier, she may resent him for his lies. 

Looking out of the window Sirius noticed that the sky was beginning to darken. He reluctantly told Ebony that he ought to leave as he would not be able to find his way home, should the clouds grow any heavier. Ebony agreed as Mr Martin would be home soon.

As Sirius bid his sister farewell on the doorstep he suddenly felt very sad.

'Will I see you again?' he asked hopefully.

Laughing, Ebony replied, 'Does next Sunday suit you?'

Sunday, Sirius thought, seemed like an eternity away but, at the risk of sounding silly, he agreed that Sunday would be perfect. 

'So,' Ebony said uncertainly, not knowing how to say goodbye. 'I'll see you on Sunday.'

'Yeah' said Sirius, awkwardly, wanting more than anything to throw his arms around his sister like a normal brother would.

He realised even now that he was going to miss Ebony horribly. The few hours that he had spent in the Martin house did not seem adequate compared to the years that he had missed out on. There were so many things they had not discussed, so many memories they had not shared. 

'Bye then.' Ebony whispered.

And to Sirius's surprise the girl leaned forward on her tip-toes and kissed his cheek.

He could no longer stop himself.

 Reaching forward, Sirius pulled Ebony into a tight hug and prayed that he would never have to let go. But he found that even the strongest of prayers can go unanswered.

'Excuse me, I'd like to get into my house today,' a cold, harsh voice came from behind Sirius.

Pulling away from Ebony, Sirius turned to find an extremely angry looking Mr Martin standing behind him.

It occurred to Sirius that Mr Martin was not as happy about this meeting as he had once made out. In fact, he seemed to look at Sirius in utmost contempt. His thick, grey eyebrows lowered, forcing his eyes to narrow in fury. His face seemed almost red and his lips tightened as he spoke.

'Mr Black, I presume?'

Sirius tried to smile as Martin cast a disapproving glance over his long, straggly hair.

'Yes Mr Martin.'

Sirius admittedly did not expect a warm welcome or even a hand shake but he was very surprised when Mr Martin stormed into his house with a low growl.

Ebony's face filled with worry. 

'I'll have to go' she muttered in an apologetic tone before closing the door on her brother and hurrying inside.

Feeling extremely down beat, Sirius clambered upon his motorcycle, already waiting for the day that he would see his sister again. Mr Martin's mood had certainly put a dampener on the day. Sadly, Sirius was forced to wonder if spending time with Ebony was going to be as easy as it had seemed. 

He could only wait until Sunday, when time would tell.


	11. Letters

I know I promised two chapters last time but I had a teensy server problem and couldn't get the second chap uploaded, soooooo I'll let you have two this time! I know, I'm too kind! I hope these are in the right order cos I've totally confused myself (easily done)

_Polkat_:  I know- I love Remus too! Glad your still enjoying and I have no idea what obsequiousness means!

_Gaul1_: Thank you for reviewing again! Luckily I have no more college, my sympathies if you have to go back!

_Headmaster Cromwell_: Thanks for visiting! I am actually already registered on your site.

_Hermione 'DB'_: Thank you for that madness, it got me laughing-not sure what at but it did! Like I said I didn't manage to get the two chapters uploaded that I had intended to, but I have made amends! I love Starman, I don't know how I forgot about it, thank you for your help!

_Three-days-grace_: Please don't cry! Than you for reading, I'm glad you're getting into it but I never meant to upset anyone! Don't worry nothing bad is gonna happen in the house (except for what already did) Belle Reve actually means beautiful dream so that should give you a clue.

_Wintermoon2_: Why does everyone have numbers these days? I'm not surprised I couldn't find your fic! Thank you for your comments, I've got a great big grin now (which is scaring the guy opposite judging by his nervous twitching) Here's the update as requested, hope you like!

Wow! I think that's the most reviews I have ever gotten for one chapter! 

_Letters_

When Sirius arrived home that evening he found a letter from Remus awaiting him on the kitchen table. Slumping into a chair, Sirius pulled the envelope apart and read the small scrap of parchment within.

_Padfoot_

_Sorry to keep this short. I hope your meeting with Ebony went well, let me know how you got on. I just thought that I ought to remind you, if you are planning on meeting her again you have a godson who might like to know._

_Best wishes_

_Moony_

Sirius sat himself upright and re read the letter. Remus was right. With everything that had been going on Sirius hadn't spared a thought for anyone else. Harry did not even know that his godfather had a sister. Sirius was the closest thing Harry had to family and for the past few years Harry had been the closest thing Sirius had to family. How would Harry react to knowing that Sirius had another relative? Ever since Sirius had found Harry he had dreamed of the day that he and the boy would live together, along with Ebony. Harry had shared that dream, but a strange young girl had never been a part of his equation. 

Sirius, however, failed to see that his godson may feel less than happy about the idea. In fact, Sirius thought that Harry would be positively delighted to have a sister, or would she be an aunt? Whatever the given title, Sirius decided that a relative of his own age would be a blessing to Harry.

Pulling a quill and sheet of parchment from the kitchen drawer, Sirius began to pen a note to Harry in his usual, untidy scrawl. 

_Harry_

_Sorry that I haven't written for so long, I feel I owe you an explanation. I explained to you back in September that I wanted to spend some time rebuilding my life. In truth, I did not leave you to find a new house or meet old friends; I left you to find my sister. I have never mentioned Ebony to you before, mainly because I feared that she may not want to be contacted. I have recently met up with her and I am confident that we will be able to repair our relationship. You'd love her Harry, she's just a year older than you and I know you'd get along brilliantly .I hope that one day you get to meet her. I cannot describe to you how happy I feel about finding her; I feel that I am finally piecing my life back together. I just wanted to let you know about her, I'll tell you the whole tale when I return. I hope that this letter explains my absence._

_Take care of yourself and say hello to Ron and Hermione for me. I look forward to visiting at Christmas, just over a week to go! Good luck for your Quidditch match on Saturday._

_See you soon._

_Sirius_

Sirius folded the letter with a smile and left a note for Mrs Lupin to send it to Hogwarts with the morning post owl. Taking himself upstairs, Sirius couldn't help feeling extremely pleased with himself. As he lay upon his bed, wrapped in a thinning blanket, his mind wandered back to the Martin house.

Ebony sat there by his side, entertaining him with her stories. She was perfect, he decided. Pretty, intelligent, friendly and very cheeky- she was everything he'd ever hoped that she would be. A Black. No matter who had raised her, Ebony was a true Black. She looked like a Black and acted like a Black, she was definitely her mother's daughter. If Sirius had feared anything, it was finding his sister to be a stranger. A girl, who may have looked like her mother, but acted like a complete stranger. But Ebony was definitely no stranger, in fact Sirius felt as though he had just bumped into an old friend, the kind that he'd known for years.

Downstairs, Mr and Mrs Lupin could be heard returning home; Sirius barely noticed, he was still at the Martin house. It was only when Mrs Lupin entered the room that his mind snapped back to reality.

'Are you ok pet?' she asked softly, as she sat down on the corner of the bed.

'Yes.' Sirius smiled. 'Yes, I am.'

Mrs Lupin smiled warmly down at her son's friend. She seemed pleased to see him looking so happy but at the same time slightly worried.

'And Ebony, she was pleased to see you?'

Sirius sat up enthusiastically and beamed at Mrs Lupin like an excited child.

'She wants to see me again Pat…she's brilliant…it was like we'd never been split up…it was perfect!' Sirius rambled, as if too happy to construct a proper sentence.

Mrs Lupin frowned slightly. 'But you were split up honey. You have only known each other five minutes, it takes years to built a relationship.'

'But were great together, she's so similar to mum, to me even! I feel like I know her already!' Sirius gabbled enthusiastically, pushing Patty Lupin's comments to one side.

'You knew your mother, you remember her,' said Mrs Lupin as she looked deeply into Black's eyes. 'She does not have that privilege, to her the Black family is a stranger. Don't forget that pet. This is the first bit o' contact she's had with her family, don't push 'er'.'

With that statement, Mrs Lupin left the room. Sirius's mind continued to roam as though she had never entered, untouched by her words. 

Sirius did not remember falling asleep that night, his dreams a mere continuation of his constant thought. Ebony remained at his side until day break. After humming his way through breakfast, Sirius took the time to write to Remus and then continued the day in his overly cheerful fashion.

It was two days later when Sirius received an owl, sent by Harry.

_Dear Sirius_

_I didn't realise that you had any living family; you can tell me about it at Christmas if you want. I think that Quidditch will go well this weekend, Hufflepuff's beaters have both gone down sick and the replacements aren't up to much. I've been practicing on the Firebolt all week; it's handling the wind very well. Ron and Hermione say 'hi' and Hermione says she's thrilled to hear your news. We're all looking forward to you coming back to school (Hermione asks if you can send her the syllabus for your Defence against The Dark Arts lessons as she feels that she will need time to prepare for your new teaching methods – sorry I did promise to ask!) _

_See you soon_

_Harry_

Sirius read the letter twice. He had hoped that Harry would have had a little more to say about Ebony, it sounded as though Hermione cared about her more than he did. Maybe Remus was right, maybe Harry was jealous. Sirius hoped that that was not the case, it certainly wasn't his intention. 

Pushing the letter to one side, Sirius realised that another piece of parchment lay on the kitchen table, with his name on it. The note was very short and looked as though it had been scribbled hurriedly.

Sirius Black,

I hope my owl has found your house, I didn't ask for your address! Sorry I can't meet you at home on Sunday. Could you come to The Gentle Witch teashop in Auldertown, it's near my house. Sorry to ask, I'll explain when we meet, is 1 o' clock ok.

E. Martin

c/o Beauxbatons Academy, for the education of young sorcerers.

Ebony's name and address had been typed in bright blue ink, the school crest emblazoned in gold.

Sirius examined the scrawled writing. It didn't take much brain power to work out why Ebony had changed the location of the meeting.

Martin.

He obviously objected to having Sirius in his house; maybe he had objected to the entire meeting. He had clearly assumed, or hoped, that only one meeting would take place between his daughter and her convict brother. He had seemed rattled when he had encountered the two hugging on his doorstep. The more Sirius thought about it, the more he convinced himself that Martin was behind the change. Why had he changed his mind?

Martin's reasoning meant very little to Sirius, he would continue seeing his sister and nothing would get in his way.


	12. Goodbye

Sorry I haven't had a chance to write any personal responses this time. Please forgive me, please! 

_ _

_Goodbye_

As the weekend drew ever closer the fear in Sirius's heart grew tighter and harder to bear. He did not need Ebony to tell him what he felt he already knew. She was no longer interested in forming a relationship with him. 

It did not matter to him that she had never spoken such words aloud; she had already repeated them a thousand times in his head. Sirius wasn't a friend of optimism, positive thinking had once convinced him that an innocent man would never be taken to Azkaban, and he wasn't going to let it fool him again. When Sunday finally arrived he had never been in worse spirits.

The Gentle Witch was a small tea room situated on the edges of a derelict village. Sirius surveyed the building with interest. The place had a quaint, old fashioned air to it; it was obviously not a popular haunt amongst young wizards, if Ebony wanted to meet here it was because she wanted them to be out of sight.

Slowly and resentfully, Sirius pushed open the door of the café. A wind-chime tinkled, welcoming him into the warmth. The smell of tea and home made cakes was overpowering as was the unnecessary brightness of the décor. The place was empty but for a small, wrinkled witch who stood behind the cracked, stone counter.

Sirius smiled at the lady and sat down at a small, circular table by the window. 

Why wasn't Ebony here?

Worry boiled up inside him, burning in the pit of his stomach. 

Was she even going to turn up?

Before Sirius could dwell upon this question the elderly witch bustled towards him brandishing a menu.

'We aren't serving hot food yet,' she cackled 'But I can do toast and sandwiches.'

'Er, nothing for now.' Sirius mumbled half heartedly.

The witch wrinkled her nose haughtily and huffed, 'This is a business, not a hostel,' before stalking off into the kitchen.

Sirius sat alone for fifteen minutes during which time he had managed to upset himself to the point of tears.

Why was Ebony not here yet? Was she even going to bother coming?

The gingham pattern of the table cloth began to hurt his eyes as he stared at it relentlessly; trying to convince himself that the second he looked up Ebony would arrive. When he did finally lift his eyes to meet the rest of the room, he did not see his sister, just the wrinkled old which who was now looking extremely impatient.

After a further five minutes of playing with the frill on a nearby napkin, Sirius finally heard the voice he had been waiting for.

'Sorry I'm late.' Ebony breathed as she slumped into the chair opposite her brother. 'Dad was asking all sorts of questions.'

'He doesn't know you're here.' Sirius concluded stiffly.

He noticed that his sister looked very flustered, she had obviously been running.

'No,' she replied softly, lowering her eyes to the tablecloth.

Sirius sighed heavily; he knew exactly where this conversation was heading. If Ebony was lying to her father about meeting him, then the old man obviously disapproved.

Before he had a chance to speak his thoughts he was interrupted by the old shop-keeper who was once again thrusting a menu under his nose.

'You'll be wanting to order now,' she pushed snootily. 'Like I said, I can't do hot meals but I can…'

'Do toast and sandwiches.' Sirius cut across sharply.

The old lady looked as though she was going to snap back but Ebony smiled at her sweetly and said 'Two tea's please.'

With a forced smile the witch hurried back into the kitchens and returned seconds later with two mugs of luke-warm tea.

'She always gives you cold tea if you give her cheek' Ebony complained.

'What you've actually been here before?' Sirius asked in an annoyed tone. 'Only this place looks more like a grannies meeting place and I was beginning to feel as though you were trying to keep us well hidden.'

Ebony shot her brother a look of frustration and said. 'I come here a lot actually, to do my homework in peace. Dad's always making a racket with his television.'

Sirius look puzzled until Ebony explained. 'With mum being a muggle he became interested in their stuff, but he never did figure out how to make the damn thing quieter. You should see his room, littered with plugs and light bulbs.'

Sirius had no idea what a light bulb might be but he was in no mood to ask, he just wanted to know why this meeting had been moved from Ebony's house to a deserted café.

'The thing is,' Ebony began slowly, 'Dad doesn't want me to see you anymore.'

That was it. That was what Sirius had been waiting for. A dull ache formed in his chest as fear welled up inside his head.

'He can't stop you' said Sirius, 'He doesn't have to know.'

'No.' Ebony snapped. Her dark eyes shone with tears as she spoke. 'I'm sorry Sirius, I can't lie to him.'

'So you'd rather lose me would you,' he raged, earning himself a warning glare form the shop keeper. 

He continued in a quieter tone. 'What he doesn't know won't hurt him. You can't let him come between us.'

'I can't lie to my father, please understand,' Ebony pleaded.

Sirius's face turned scarlet, his eyes burned with rage. 'I'm sure you've lied before,' he said through clenched teeth.

Ebony ran a shaking palm through her long, black hair as she looked up to the ceiling, seemingly waiting for divine inspiration.

'You didn't see him' she said, avoiding eye contact with her brother, although he could tell from her voice that she was crying. 

'He went mad.'

'He didn't hit you?'

'No.' Ebony replied quickly. 'Of course not, but he was angry. I've never seen him angry before. He was hurt Sirius, he was afraid; I'm not going to make him feel like that.'

Sirius exhaled deeply before arguing. 'He knows that I wouldn't take you away, he agreed to let me visit.' 

'Yes, well.' Ebony said quietly, 'he obviously didn't realise how upset it would make him. He's old Sirius; I can't do that to him.'

Ebony surveyed her brother through tear-filled eyes. He looked every inch the condemned man; his facial expression was probably the one he had worn when sentenced to life in Azkaban. He sat with his head held firmly in his hands, long dark hair half-hiding his face. 

'We can always write….during term time.' Ebony suggested hopefully.

'I will see you again Ebony' said Sirius stubbornly. 'Nobody will stop me. You can give into him all you like but I won't, this isn't the end.'

Ebony screwed up her face bitterly. Sirius was certainly not going to make this easy for her. It pained her to hurt her brother but she could not hurt an elderly man. Theodore Martin had raised her, dedicated his life to making her happy, she could not throw that back in his face. He had barely spoken to her since Sirius's last visit; he scarcely left his arm chair. She had to put things right. She had her whole life to get to know her brother; her father, she knew, was in failing health .And, after all, Sirius had already waited many years to find her, a few more wouldn't hurt him as much as the betrayal would hurt her dad. Knowing that she could not fight her brother any longer, Ebony slowly got to her feet.

'I ought to go, dad will be waiting.'

She knew that this was a lie but it seemed easier to walk away than to tear her brother's heart further.

'I won't go away Ebony.' Sirius warned. 'I am staying at Lupin Farm if you need me, it's on the road to Little Hangleton. I will be living at Hogwarts after new year.'

Ebony did not reply. She silently made her way towards the door. 

'Bye Sirius,' she whispered before leaving the café.

Sirius did not move for a long time. He didn't think he could even if he tried. He sat for an hour staring out of the rippled glass window, the bright, winter sunlight stinging his eyes. It seemed to Sirius that a curse had been hovering over his life since birth, well in truth, Ebony's birth. It seemed that the powers above did not intend him to be happy and so cruelly tainted his life with false hopes and shattered dreams. 

After offering Sirius numerous cups of unaccepted tea, the old witch at the counter became impatient with her only customer and ushered him out. 

Strangely, Sirius did not think of Ebony that night. He did not think of anything, his mind became a blank screen but his heart felt as though a part of it had been ripped away. An empty void, recently vacated, ached with overwhelming sadness. It was not until Sirius had drifted off into a fitful sleep that Ebony was allowed to enter his subconscious thoughts, where she remained until daybreak.


	13. Back To Hogwarts

_Back to Hogwarts_

When Sirius awoke it was to the strange sensation that the world was at its end. As he sat upright in his best friend's bed, shivering with cold, he felt oddly out of place. Looking at the day ahead he realised that he had now come to the end of his chosen path. He was living in his friend's house-he had nowhere to go and nothing to do. He would get up, sit down and stay in his chair for the remainder of the day until returning to bed. There seemed no point in such an empty existence.

Although Sirius had not given up on his sister, he now knew that he had to move on; stewing in self pity would get him nowhere. 

It was time to go back to Hogwarts. 

He was not due at the school for a few days, but there seemed no point in waiting. His godson and only remaining friend still needed him, and he needed them even more.

Dragging himself to his feet Sirius crossed the room to Remus's desk and pulled out a roll of parchment. Picking up an old quill he wrote.

_Dear Harry,_

_Things have not gone to plan with Ebony. I plan to travel north in a few hours so I should be at Hogwarts in time for supper. Let Remus know I'm coming._

_-Sirius._

Sirius checked his untidy scrawl for mistakes and then folded the parchment in two. He trampled down the stairs into the front room where he found Mrs Lupin.

'Could you take this down to the Post Owls with your mail?' he asked.

Mrs Lupin's face contorted into a look of worry as she put a bony hand to Sirius's forehead.

'What's happened honey, you look dreadfully pale? Your eyes are all red poppet, are you ill?'

'No' Sirius answered quickly. He was in no mood to give Mrs Lupin any explanations, he could not face her pity and mollycoddling. 

'Well, if you're sure,' she said softly. 'I think you should rest though, just in case you're coming down with something.'

'Actually,' Sirius began, pushing Mrs Lupin's hand away. 'I'm going back to Hogwarts today; I want to be near Harry.'

Mrs Lupin looked saddened at the prospect of losing the man she considered her second son. 

'I understand,' she said, trying not to sound downcast. 'We'll miss you though. You must bring Harry up next time, I'd love to meet him. It doesn't feel the same, having you and Remus here without James, it must be comforting to have his son around.'

'Yes.' Sirius replied, apparently lost in memory.'

Mrs Lupin left the room, leaving Sirius to his thoughts. Sirius, however, was in no mood to reminisce; the past seemed to be causing more harm than good lately. He went back up the squeaky staircase and began to pack the few belongings he had. The sooner he arrived at Hogwarts the better. 

It may have seemed that Sirius was trying to replace Ebony with his godson but that was not the case. As Remus had often worried, it was more a question of him attempting to replace James with his son. Sirius was aware that Harry could not provide the comfort he could have sought in James, but it did make him feel that extra bit closer to the friend that he had lost.

Sirius took the time he had to rummage amongst Remus's books. The large collection of Magic Defence books his friend owned would aid him considerably when he took over the Dark Arts post. Sirius's search for his sister had taken up so much time that he hadn't even begun to prepare for his new job. Hopefully Remus would provide him with some tips.

With his belongings packed away and ready for the journey Sirius sat and awaited Mrs Lupin's return. Only now did his mind fully return to Ebony. 

_Where was she now? _

She would probably be sitting in a classroom, not even in the same country.

Was she feeling as hurt as her brother?

Did she too feel as though the world had turned its back on her? 

Or was she laughing and chatting with her school-friends, without a spare thought for the brother she had left behind?

Sirius did not think he could bear that. He did not want Ebony to be in pain, but he couldn't stand the thought of her laughing, not caring about what she had lost.

Just then, a loud banging sound came from the hallway, someone was knocking on the door. Sirius gave a heavy sigh as he heaved himself up from the settee; Mrs Lupin had obviously forgotten her key.

Sirius clicked open a small, brass latch and jerked the front door open moodily, annoyed at having been aroused from his thoughts. Yet as the door swung open he realised that something was very wrong. He had expected Remus's mother to bustle into the house, arms full of shopping, wondering how she could possibly have forgotten to take her key. 

But it was not Mrs Lupin. 

A pair of dark, tearful eyes peered up from the doorstep.

'Ebony?'

Sirius looked down at the young girl, stunned.

'What is wrong?'

Ebony did not answer. She flung her arms around her brother's shoulders and broke into uncontrollable sobs. Sirius could feel her breath coming in short, sharp bursts against his chest, she had been crying so much that her whole body shook and she did not seem able to stop. 

Sirius pulled his sister into the house and sat her down in the living room. She nestled against his chest as he ran a hand soothingly over her head, willing her to calm down. After some time Ebony's tears finally ceased as she hadn't the energy to cry any more. She remained silent, not moving from her brother's grip.

'What is it?' Sirius whispered, when Ebony appeared to have calmed down. 

'He's gone' Ebony replied, her voice hoarse and sore.

She pulled away from Sirius and sat facing him. Her eyes were just narrow, pink slits upon her red, puffy face.

'Martin?' Sirius asked in shock.

Ebony nodded silently, her face buried in her hands.

'He….he was….when I arrived home….I called the doctor, but….he was old.' Ebony sobbed incoherently.

'You found him?' Sirius's face filled with concern. 'You weren't alone were you…you had people to look after you overnight?'

Ebony shook her head weakly. 'I just wanted to be alone…I needed to think, and then I came to find you.'

For the first time, the girl raised her head and glanced around the room. Her eyes fixed upon a half packed trunk that lay in the corner of the room.

'Am I interrupting? Are you going away?'

Sirius thought for a moment and then answered. 'We both are.'

Ebony did not seem to understand. She looked at her brother in confusion.

'I told you that I'm going to work at Hogwarts, and you're going to school there.'

Ebony looked as though she was going to protest but Sirius would not let her argue. This was for the best. Ebony had suffered a terrible loss; he could not leave her to go back to Beauxbatons alone. She was now his responsibility again and he would not fail her twice. He had to be there for her, to look after her. He also had an obligation to Harry, with Ebony at Hogwarts too he could ensure that they were both equally happy and content-he could provide them both with love, with a family.

'But… Beauxbatons will…'

'Ebony, you are not leaving my sight again' Sirius cut in, 'I can't force you to come but I need to make sure that you are ok.'

To Sirius's surprise Ebony nodded.

'I had planned on leaving today but…we could stay here for a few days, give you time to get your head together and we'll set off on Christmas Eve.'

Ebony seemed comforted. Since losing her father her thoughts had been scattered, surreal- it felt good to be making plans, putting life back into perspective. It would be strange starting a new school, a whole new chapter in life, but it seemed like the right thing to do. Her father's old house was the last place she wanted to be and the thought of going back to Beauxbatons alone was unbearable. Although she knew she would miss her friends, she wouldn't miss them half as much as she would Sirius. She needed her brother around; family now meant more to Ebony than she ever thought it could.

'I need to say goodbye to my dad.' Ebony said quietly, staring at the floor. 'And I got an owl telling me I have to go to the Ministry building in the New Year, to attend a reading of dad's will.'

'Don't worry' said Sirius 'Professor Dumbledore will understand…Come on, I'll take you to collect your things and I'll send Dumbledore an owl from town, let him know that you're coming.'

The slightest trace of a smile flittered across Ebony's face. 

'You can use mine if you like. Dad kept quite a few, I'm sure you could keep one.'

Sirius took the girl's hand and led her down the hallway.

'Only if you choose it for me.'

The sky outside was beginning to welcome in the night. A thin sliver of the early moon was visible beyond a covering of thick, white cloud. Ebony's eyes were automatically drawn to the few stars that adorned the great icy, blue scene above. She felt a warm sense of comfort, knowing that Theodore Martin was now somewhere up there, at peace, looking down upon her.

 'I'm alright dad. It's ok' she whispered as Sirius led her towards the place where his old bike was parked. 

Overhearing his sister's words he smiled to himself. No matter how selfish it made him, he couldn't help but feel the same. Things were finally going to be ok.

**A/N Well, that's it, the end of _A New Beginning_! Well, technically, all will be transferred on to my next fic.**

**If you want to find out how Sirius and Ebony get at Hogwarts…and what Harry thinks of it all, Part 3_-'The Secrets of Slytherin'_, will be up very, very soon.! I'm so excited Gred, Forge AND two Marauders under the same roof! In Part 3, The Order of the ****Phoenix**** will fully reform and Voldemort will return with a horrible new plot, so please, please come back and read it, PLEASE!!!! There'll be some OOTP inspired bits and a different death (as you will have noticed I'm rather attached to the guy JK …did away with *sobs*, oh no I'm off again) so PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE…oh well, if all of that grovelling didn't succeed I may as well surrender.**

**Anyhoo, BIG thank you's for reading this fic and sending me such lovely reviews!**


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